2023-11-11 14:14:00
Too much is teveel! Many local residents have had enough. They decided to take the offensive. This Sunday afternoon, more than 22 Flemish and French-speaking local and environmental associations met at Zaventem station at 2 p.m. We are expecting a lot of people. These associations are organizing a joint march to the airport to protest against the airport’s growth projects whose environmental permit expires on July 8, 2024. According to these associations, the expansion of the airport will harm health and environment of local residents. The decision to grant this new permit rests with Zuhal Demir, the N-VA Minister in charge of the Environment. As for the (air) mobility aspect, the associations insistently ask the Deputy Federal Prime Minister in charge of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) to “place the protection of public health and the environment above profits private shareholders of the airport”.
Noise pollution from aircraft: George Gilkinet (Ecolo) announces a legal basis to regulate Brussels Airport
A strong signal to politicians
“This major awareness campaign is a first,” underlines Bertrand Waucquez, mayor of Kraainem (Kraainem-Unie), vice-president of the association Belgian Union Against Air Nuisances (UBCNA). This perfect bilingual is the “facilitator” of an approach that brings together various local and environmental associations. “It is essential to mobilize as many people as possible and to prevent the different levels of power from moving forward in a dispersed manner on this issue with its community overtones,” he insists.
The mayor of Kraainem does not beat around the bush. “It is essential that we speak with one voice in order to assert the legitimate interests of many local residents who are victims of air pollution,” urges Bertrand Waucquez. We want to win our case on four points: the abolition of night flights (between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.), the capping of the number of air movements (maximum 220,000/year whereas if we change nothing, we will cross the milestone of 400,000 movements in 2040…), the reduction of noise pollution produced by aircraft and the limitation of flight frequencies, excessive today, at the level of the Huldenberg beacon,” explains our interlocutor.
Desperate residents faced with noise pollution: “Sending the police doesn’t change anything. It’s even worse…”
The health of local residents in danger
In April, a research firm calculated, at the request of Bond Beter Leefmilieu, that the noise from planes at Brussels airport seriously disrupts the sleep of 109,000 local residents and exposes around 50,000 people to an increased risk of illness. cardiovascular. The health care and economic cost of noise pollution amounts to more than 1 billion euros. Our environment also suffers serious consequences linked to air traffic. Planes taking off from Brussels airport emit more nitrogen oxides than all the companies in the port of Antwerp combined, as well as more greenhouse gases than are emitted by heating a million of homes.
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