GNR detects 26 violations in operation in the Leiria region to prevent illegal discharges – Portugal

The Republican National Guard (GNR) detected 26 infractions in an operation to prevent and identify perpetrators of illegal discharges into water resources in the municipalities of Batalha, Leiria, Marinha Grande and Porto de Mós.

In information sent this Monday to the Lusa agency, the GNR said that in the operation, called “Clean Water”, which began on December 15, 2023 and ended on April 15, around 50 inspections were carried out, 26 infractions were detected in the water domain, resulting in the drafting of several administrative offense notices.

Among the cases, the GNR highlighted 16 cases for rejecting degraded waters into the soil/water without any mechanism to ensure their purification, two for non-compliance relating to the spreading of livestock effluents on flooded soil and another two for lack of a title to use the resources. water.

“As part of these infractions, 11 natural persons and 15 legal persons were also identified”, said the GNR.

A GNR source clarified that the majority of the 26 infractions were registered in the municipality of Leiria.

According to the GNR, this operation aimed to address the numerous complaints registered in recent years, alluding to the pollution of water resources, in order to promote the sustainability of the biodiversity of these resources, providing for the monitoring and identification of perpetrators of illicit acts, which jeopardize danger to water bodies in those municipalities.

The GNR also stated that, through the Nature and Environment Protection Service, “it is aware of this scourge, ensuring regular patrolling of the most affected area”, adding that, to report infractions or clarify doubts, citizens can use the SOS Environment and Territory Line (808200520).

When announcing this operation, the GNR announced that “daily and uninterrupted monitoring actions would be carried out in the Lis river basin in the municipalities of Leiria, Marinha Grande, Batalha and Porto de Mós, in order to address direct and indirect discharges of effluents coming from the manufacturing industry, as well as agricultural and livestock activities, which are very representative in the region”.

“Many of the watercourses in the Lis river basin have very dense vegetation on their banks, thus preventing inspection and verification of bed conditions throughout their entire length, which is why the model of patrolling within the resources has been adopted. water resources, which has proven to be effective in detecting illicit acts of this nature”, explained the GNR.