The request for intervention from the Public Prosecutor’s Office was announced by the Mayor of Setúbal, André Martins (CDU), during a gathering of over a hundred people protesting against alleged pollutant discharges at the facilities of the Poçoilos company, following a meeting between the municipality and three central administration entities.
“We were contacted today for a meeting with the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo [CCDRLVT], Inspeção-Geral da Agricultura, do Mar, do Ambiente e do Ordenamento do Território [IGAMAOT], and Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente [APA], also involving the City Council,” stated André Martins, addressing the Setúbal residents who participated in the protest.
“And finally, a conclusion was presented from this meeting. These entities will request the Public Prosecutor’s Office to intervene preventively in closing down this activity [of the company Composet, Compostagem e Gestão de Resíduos],” added the mayor of Setúbal.
In statements to journalists, André Martins noted that the results of the analyses already conducted by central administration bodies on Composet’s grounds, although not yet complete, “indicate that there are acidic runoff, a strong quantity of acids.”
The mayor further assured that he is willing to continue the fight against pollution in Poçoilos if the Public Prosecutor’s Office does not proceed with the process within 48 hours.
Joining the residents’ protest were several elected members of the city council, including Socialist Councillor Joel Marques, representing Setúbal’s main opposition party, who expressed solidarity with the initiative and the concerns of Poçoilos residents.
“The PS is naturally in solidarity with the residents and very concerned about everything that is happening. It has made several interventions at various levels to try to resolve this issue, aiming to ensure that responsible entities can effectively find a solution,” he said.
“There is something fundamental for us: we want the problem solved. Our main concern is to ensure that the source of pollution ceases to exist and that the discharges—which we know are illegal—stop occurring, ensuring conditions to restore the land and recover the soils from the pollution and contamination that already exists on those grounds,” added the PS councillor.
Last week, about 150 residents of the São Sebastião and Gâmbia-Pontes-Alto da Guerra parishes in the Setúbal municipality decided to move forward with a popular action demanding the preventive closure of Composet’s facilities.
The residents allege that the company has been discharging waste that causes severe odor and environmental damage to the plant cover, in addition to the concern that this waste could pose a danger to public health.
