The Masdache Se Protege Neighborhood Association has publicly expressed its "citizen and environmental" concern about the mobile phone antenna that has been installed in the heart of the Protected Landscape of La Geria.
The installation of this antenna in the heart of Masdache, within the Protected Landscape of La Geria and a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA), included in the Natura 2000 Network, has generated "deep alarm" among residents and visitors of Lanzarote, who do not understand how "the legacy of César Manrique is being destroyed and violated."
"A very serious attack"
Citizens have denounced "the secrecy with which the Cabildo and the Tías City Council have been processing the file of this very serious attack in the central heart of the island."
According to a statement, the project's location is "clearly incompatible with the natural, cultural, and scenic values" of this globally unique enclave, a symbol of Lanzarote's wine heritage and an international benchmark for the integration of nature and human activity.
La Geria, as a large region in the central valley of the island of Lanzarote, from Mozaga to Uga, "is subject to multiple forms of protection that seek to prevent this type of aggression and violence to the landscape."
Lack of environmental impact study
Precisely, the same Environment Councilor of the Cabildo, Samuel Martín, was in Rome last week, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), "defending the awarding of a prize for that landscape, he is the same one who signs a report authorizing this very serious attack."
In this regard, he indicated that the report "lacks an environmental impact study that assesses the effects on the territory and people." Thus, they questioned, "Why is the environmental impact study avoided in such a sensitive place? Their will to attack the Protected Landscape of La Geria is imposed."
Machín's Silence Questioned
"What legitimacy do they have to evade all the basic procedures? Why is Councilor Jesús Machín, responsible for Culture and Territorial Policy, silent?" he continued. "The protected landscape of La Geria is universal culture. It must be preserved and its protection ensured. How long will he continue to look the other way and evade his responsibilities?" he questioned.
"As the person responsible for Territorial Policy, we ask you: Does the PIOT contemplate this type of telecommunications infrastructure in the Protected Landscape of La Geria?" he asked.
Mayor of Tías Accused of "Secrecy"
In the aforementioned statement, the residents have indicated that the Tías Town Council "is aware of the irregularities" and has moved forward "secretly" to grant a construction license to a multinational corporation.
“Can the mayor of Tías, José Juan Cruz, explain the reasons for his 'no' to wind and/or photovoltaic farms, and his 'yes' to telecommunications multinationals on public land without guaranteeing the health of residents and facilitating irreparable damage to the collective heritage of the central region of the island, in Masdache?”
Thus, they have indicated that this installation represents "a serious visual alteration in a unique landscape of high ecological value." "The total absence of an environmental impact assessment is denounced, despite the fact that the installation is located in a protected area at both the regional and European levels," they emphasized.
Added to this is the concern about the possible health effects on the local population, especially due to "the proximity to inhabited homes and the town's sports field, without a risk study having been carried out, nor a transparent public consultation process having been opened."
Neighbors of Masdache Se Protege have requested the immediate halt of the project, the removal of the installed infrastructure, and the opening of an informative file that clarifies how an intervention of these characteristics could have been authorized in an area of such high environmental and patrimonial sensitivity.
Finally, they have made an appeal to the competent institutions: the Cabildo of Lanzarote, the Government of the Canary Islands, and the Ministry for Ecological Transition, to exercise their responsibility in defending the general interest, the conservation of the territory, and compliance with European environmental protection regulations.
"La Geria is not to be touched! No more sacrifices on the territory of Lanzarote! Get the Masdache antenna out!" they emphasized.
Rally on October 25
The Association has called on the residents of Masdache, the citizens of Lanzarote and the island of La Graciosa, and tourist visitors "to show their rejection and immediately dismantle what has been installed in Masdache." At the same time, they have reminded everyone that next Saturday, October 25, at 12:00 noon, in the sports court, next to the Telecommunications Tower, located on the Juan Bello road, in Masdache.
