Fundamental right: open letter in response to the extra Antwerp city council

25.06.2021 | Fundamental right

Dear Mayor 
Dear members of the city council
Dear members of the municipal council

We are writing this letter to you on behalf of an ever-growing group of concerned residents of Antwerp, the beautiful city that we have entrusted to you with great confidence. We are writing to you because we are concerned about the pollution of our city with PFOS and the consequences for the health of all Antwerp residents. But we are writing to you mainly because we have the impression that on 't Schoon Verdiep, in contrast to outside, there is still no sense of urgency is about this problem. Seen from the left bank it remains quiet on the other side, and so we feel abandoned.

Some of the steps we ask of you are self-explanatory. For example, we expect you to measure the damage. How big is the pollution and the poisoning? How big is the risk for the residents of 't Stad? We expect you to take measurements on both the left and the right bank - because contrary to what you seem to believe for the time being, the pollution does not stop at the border of Zwijndrecht, nor at the Scheldt. We also expect you to critically examine those results and to draw up a health policy on that basis. Because although we were happy that you immediately took samples on the left bank, we regret that the results of those measurements are being minimized. No less than 10 of the 12 measurements exceed the target value for PFOS, 8 of the 12 measurements exceed the guideline value. And really alarming: in the Sint-Annabos, where we walk and play with our children, the measurements exceed the remediation standard. Reassured? Nope, not us. 

In the meantime, we demand that you act to limit the spread of pollution. And yes – although we can hear you groaning all the way to the left bank – we must also talk about Eastern Weel have. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise: just like you, we want the mobility problem in Antwerp to be solved. And contrary to what you might think, we are not eager to put the works on hold, let alone boycott them. But that does not mean that we have no reservations about how the works are being carried out. On the contrary. 

We therefore demand that it be immediately investigated whether the works as they are (will be) carried out do not pose a risk to our health and that of the workers on the site. To date, this has not been studied comprehensively, independently and transparently, as far as we know. Yet, as residents, we have the right to know what impact these works can have on our health. 

If the conclusion of that investigation is that there is no risk, then you will no longer have any trouble from us – at least as far as the Oosterweel dossier is concerned. If the conclusion is that there is a risk, then we count on you to put our health first. Then we expect you to demand that all parties involved in the Oosterweel works provide their redo homework and formulate proposals on how it can be made safer. Packing, spraying, cleaning up – as far as we are concerned, the sky is the limit, but we want conclusive guarantees for our health. Believe us: together with you, we hope that good proposals or solutions will emerge from this. Only in this way can we continue to live in the city we love so much with peace of mind. 

And if those proposals do not come, but you think the works should still go ahead? Then we count on you to jump on the ferry at Steen and come and tell us why that is so. Because we, as residents of 't Stad, are entitled to that too.