Conama: Environmental alert episodes will cause millions of dollars in losses

SANTIAGO.- This morning, the Metropolitan Director of the National Environmental Commission (Conama), Alejandro Smythe, stated that the economic losses generated by the environmental alerts and pre-emergency measures will equal “millions of dollars”.  The alerts prohibit the operation of industrial plants, and call for a halt on the circulation of trucks and passenger transport vehicles, among other restrictions. 

“All of these economic and social costs take a toll on health costs, which is what we are looking to protect”, Smythe told Radio Cooperativa.

Concerning the supervision systems that have been organized to enforce compliance with orders issued during this fourth pre-emergency alert of the year, the metropolitan director of Conama assured that authorities “have been stepping up regulation measures since this morning”. 

Smythe said that he regrets the fact that “people have not been acting as responsibly as we would like them to by complying with the measures, especially concerning the use of wood-burning to heat their homes”.