Hundreds of residents from Alhendín and other towns in the Vega de Granada have united under the STOP Macroplanta Biometano Alhendín y la Vega de Granada platform to oppose the construction of a biomethane infrastructure. This plant is planned for the A-385 road, opposite the Marchalhendín industrial park.
The platform's objections highlight the health risks that the macro-plant could pose. Both the organization's information and the project's own feasibility study indicate that the plant's activity could directly affect the health of Granada residents. This is attributed to the emission of gases such as H2S (sulfuric acid), NH3 (ammonia), and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Additionally, the release of bacteria, organic dust, and strong odors is anticipated due to the large volume of waste the plant is designed to process.
The possible health effects on citizens include chronic and incurable diseases such as emphysema, a type of chronic and progressive lung disease, or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
These elements, under conditions of high temperatures and low pressures, could disperse within a ten-kilometer radius, affecting nearby populations. With favorable winds, this impact area could extend up to 20 kilometers. Towns such as La Malahá, Otura, Alhendín, Las Gabias, Churriana de la Vega, Armilla, Gójar, La Zubia, and Dílar are within this risk zone, with potential effects like asthma, reaching almost to the entrance of Zaidín.
Furthermore, Ecologistas en Acción has pointed out that the negative consequences of this biomethane plant could also extend to soils and aquifers. Waste not converted into gas would transform into nitrate-rich fertilizer, which, when distributed to farmers and used in fields, could contaminate aquifers.
