In early January, municipalities received the notification of the public company Adif, in charge of high-speed construction in the Spanish state, which will expropriate 122 hectares to install thirteen landfills: seven hectares in Pueiun, 30 in Garínoain, 20 in Barásoain and about 65 in Biurrun, Olcoz, Tirapu and Muruarte de Reta. In total, three times what they were told in their day. The land of the works of the High-Performance Train, 5.3 million cubic metres, 3.5 and the rest, 1.8, will be transferred to the Ezparda landfill.

The municipalities mentioned stated that the environmental impact studies presented so far did not mention these landfills, but that, according to the mayors, the condition will be very high. All these lands are seeable. In such works, landfills are typically generated in the surrounding land, making it cheaper. This affects the sowing grounds of the area.

Expropriation points to an important environmental impact, among other things because it will affect the perception of these peoples, the landscape, history, flora and fauna. At their hearing on Wednesday, they stressed that it will also have consequences from the point of view of cultivation, and that some farmers may have to leave their profession because without set-aside their projects are not profitable. Consequently, if economic activity is lost, municipalities that already have a scarce treasure can also lose very important income for them.

Danger of becoming villages to sleep

They have also denounced that their peoples already have the great influence of other infrastructures that endanger their character: the motorway, the railway, the high-voltage lines and now the fast train.

They say that there is a great deal of propaganda from the institutions about the depopulation of the peoples, but all these measures that they are now denouncing are making the peoples increasingly sleeping. They believe that it is time to address this situation, but to do so it is essential to foresee their future.

In this hearing, the high-performance train project was not valued, but many of the valley’s neighbours report that the citizens are not going to win anything because they are going to lose the Tafalla station and that is what they are now taking to go to Madrid or Barcelona. To access these places you must go to Pamplona.

The Government of Navarre tells you that the project is dealt with by Adif and that the government has nothing to say in its actions, so the Department of Territorial Cohesion will not channel initiatives to Adif on behalf of the peoples.