The Community of Madrid warned this Thursday about the “grave sanitary conditions” that are occurring at Sol Metro station due to the accumulation of urine, excrement, and other organic waste in the wells and ventilation accesses, and renewed its demand for the dismantling of the encampment in the area.
This is stated by the Housing, Transport and Infrastructure counselor, Jorge Rodrigo, in a new letter to the Government Delegate in Madrid, Francisco Martín, in which he conveys a technical environmental report issued this Wednesday by Laboratorios Himalaya.
According to the document, environmental analyses identify the presence of ammonia, amines and other organic compounds consistent with urine degradation and reveal ammonia concentrations of up to 80% of the environmental daily exposure limit (14 mg/m3) in the wells and ventilation shafts of the suburban railway.
The report notes that the results are compatible with “the presence, accumulation and fermentation of urine” and warns that the concentration of these contaminants in spaces with poor air renewal “may lead to concentrations potentially harmful to health.” Consequently, it stresses the need to undertake urgent cleaning and disinfection work.
In his letter, Rodrigo details the chemical process behind the contamination: “Environmental bacteria quickly break down the urea in urine, generating highly toxic and pneumotoxic gases.” He also attaches a Madrid Metro report on the necessity of guaranteeing access to the wells and ventilation shafts through specialized industrial vehicles, such as suction trucks.
Impact on the encampment and economic damage
The councillor emphasizes that “it is obvious that the presence of the encampment at Puerta del Sol prevents the carrying out of these works” and calls for permanently clearing the access points for suburban operation and maintenance. Rodrigo has appealed to the sense of responsibility of the Government delegate, warning that “your inaction is putting the safety of thousands of people at risk.”
Metro de Madrid has estimated the economic damage caused by the encampment at €186,649 up to this Wednesday due to partial and total closures of accesses and a drop in travelers at Sol station. Among other items, it cites €167,689 in lost revenue from the deficit of 120,029 trips recorded at Sol station between September 30 and October 13; €11,296 in additional metro staff costs, with 264 hours of reinforcement, and €7,664 in security reinforcements, totaling 283 hours.
In addition to these figures, operational impacts affected the lines 1, 2 and 3, forcing partial or total closures of accesses on several occasions and limiting the station to transfers between lines only. Finally, government sources have indicated that they will include in their court submissions a series of videos that would prove acts of vandalism against cultural heritage in the Puerta del Sol area.
