The expansion of the air base created in 1952, he said, would allow receiving 190 thousand flights a year at the start of the activities of the new terminal, with the goal of reaching 750 thousand a year, for a total of 80 million passengers, almost twice the 45 million that the current International Airport of Mexico City receives today.
Mexico City.- In the midst of multiple questions from residents, experts, activists and local authorities, the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) held a public meeting on Thursday about the construction project of the Santa Lucia International Airport , in which there was a virtually unanimous response of rejection to the initiative of the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
In the auditorium of the Primary School “Pedro Rodríguez Vargas”, located in the municipality of Zumpango, State of Mexico, the authorities of the Army and the Institute of Engineering of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) presented over an hour and mediates the main data of the project, many of which are included in the Manifestation of Environmental Impact (MIA) prepared by both agencies.
Lieutenant Colonel Luis Enrique Calderón Fernández, of the Engineers Association of Santa Lucía, explained that in the mixed civil-military airport that is to be built, there would be three lanes, in which large-scale aircraft could operate, with the aim that in its initial phase, the terminal can receive 20 million passengers a year, to conclude with 80 million when the work reaches its maximum capacity.
Similarly, detailed that 350 thousand tons of goods could be received in 10 contact positions, with a view to reach 700 thousand, and store 25 thousand liters of fuel, to reach 75 thousand liters.
The expansion of the air base created in 1952, he said, would allow receiving 190 thousand flights a year at the start of the activities of the new terminal, with the goal of reaching 750 thousand a year, for a total of 80 million passengers, almost twice the 45 million that the current International Airport of Mexico City receives today.
Calderón indicated that, to build this project, it would be necessary to acquire one thousand 284 hectares to expand the Santa Lucia terminal, in which an acoustic buffer zone would be located. In this area, he added, today there are temporary agricultural areas of the municipalities of Nextlalpan, Tecámac and Zumpango.
The acquisition of these lands would be through direct purchase with ejido owners who are willing to sell their properties, but also the possibility of expropriating land in cases where there is no agreement and are in the hands of private.
Regarding the issue of water availability, Jesus Mejía Gómez, of the Institute of Engineering of the UNAM, explained that the new airport would require 6 thousand cubic meters of liquid per day, which would be 184 times less than what today means the consumption urban public, so there would be no danger of shortage for the population.
During the question and answer session, the attendees of the informative meeting launched various questions and criticisms about the “incomplete” nature of the information presented by the authorities, and asked for more information on the way in which the shortage would supposedly be avoided. of water.
Similarly, they asked how the damage to the flora and fauna of the region and the way in which the archaeological heritage would be handled would be avoided, and even questioned whether mention was made of the psychological damage that the works could generate in the inhabitants of the region. the affected municipalities.
In an auditorium that at times was occupied in three quarters, but later began to have less capacity, the interventions were practically unanimous against the construction of the new airport, except for some interventions to ask how you could get a job on the job or express support for López Obrador’s opinion regarding Santa Lucía.
Similarly, during the presentation of papers, academics, residents and experts in environmental issues noted that the MIA prepared by the Army and the Institute of Engineering of the UNAM lacked realistic assessments and accurate conclusions.
At times, groups of villagers chanted “water yes, no planes,” and deployed blankets in rejection of the project.
The meeting was scheduled to end at 7:30 p.m., but when the interventions were exhausted, and after not having a second recess, it ended at 4:00 p.m.
Source: la jornada, gobernantes
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