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Clash between Blancos and IMM over Arroyo Carrasco cleanup: Lema says a "spectacle" was staged
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Environment & Climate

Clash between Blancos and IMM over Arroyo Carrasco cleanup: Lema says a "spectacle" was staged

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Montevideo authorities conducted cleaning operations at Arroyo Carrasco, a project involving machinery and workers.
  • The cleaning is part of departmental plans for waste management and water care.
  • Opposition senator Martín Lema criticized the timing and execution, calling it a "spectacle" and questioning the effectiveness of inter-institutional coordination.

Environmental authorities from the Intendencia de Montevideo (IMM) visited Arroyo Carrasco on Thursday to oversee ongoing cleaning operations. The initiative, part of the capital's departmental plans for cleaning and waste management, involves machinery and work crews.

this type of tasks "se realizan periódicamente" in different courses of water.

— Leonardo HerouDirector of the IMM's Environmental Development Department, explaining the regularity of cleaning efforts.

Leonardo Herou, director of the IMM's Environmental Development Department, stated that such tasks are performed regularly on various waterways. He emphasized that the current effort aims to "recover" areas like Arroyo Carrasco and includes coordinated work with the Intendencia de Canelones, along with plans for planting native species and installing new signage.

In this case, we worked in coordination with the Intendencia de Canelones, and to this are added restoration tasks, we are going to be planting native species and more signage.

— Leonardo HerouDetailing the scope of the Arroyo Carrasco project.

However, the operation drew criticism from opposition figures. Senator Martín Lema of the National Party, who had previously visited the arroyo in January with local mayor Mercedes Ruiz, claimed that despite agreements signed in February, the situation had worsened. He alleged that the IMM only organized the "spectacle" of cleaning after learning of his visit, questioning the seriousness of the work.

The contribution of environmental vision and planning is also lacking.

— Martín LemaCriticizing the Ministry of Environment's role.

Lema also directed criticism at the Ministry of Environment, led by Edgardo Ortuño, stating it lacks a clear action plan. He asserted that "putting on shows" does not lead to the necessary solutions for environmental issues, implying a lack of genuine commitment to environmental protection from the ministry.

Everything is fine, but putting on shows does not generate the solutions or the serious work that these circumstances warrant.

— Martín LemaFurther criticism of the approach to environmental issues.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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