Obarrio Construction Devastates City Green Lung
The Mayor’s Office has authorized the razing of 181 trees to make way for a construction project in Panama City’s Obarrio neighborhood.
This former city green area between 54th and 56th street, next to the Dante mansion, will make way for the construction of the Westline project, La Prensa reports.
Director of Panama’s Environmental Advocacy Center Raisa Banfield laments that the lung of Obarrio has been lost. Obarrio residents are seeing an increase in billboards, trash, pollution, traffic, density and criminality and a decrease in green areas, animal species, tranquility, parking spaces, water pressure, quality of life, light and breeze.
Banfield also notes that environmental groups have been unsuccessful in fighting this type of privately-zoned devastation to Panama’s natural heritage and neighborhood character despite efforts and studies.
UPDATE: Concepcion Chavez, Assistant Director of the Municipality of Panama’s Beautification and Environment has defended the elimination of the trees, citing the National Environmental Authority’s endorsement of the environmental impact studies.
Panama/Eduardo Grimaldo/La Prensa/12-4-10.
Goddamn morons.
[...] what environmental organizations call the Panama City Obarrio neighborhood’s green lung by cutting down 181 trees to make way for [...]
This is a crime against the people of Panama, their health and their future survival in a city that has rapidly degenerated into a highly polluted and dangerous place in which to breathe and “live” — using the latter term VERY loosely, as Panama City’s quality of life has deteriorated exponentially over the last 5 years — thanks to the unrestricted abuse of authority, power and money by a handful of ignorant individuals mis-leading the masses and poisoning themselves — along with everyone else they are trapping — in their expanding toxic web. As public health has declined in Panama, so has the energy to fight against these unlimited sources of corruption intent on covering the country with concrete.
[...] the former Dante Mansion on 50th Street – not far from the razed Obarrio Green Lung – they held signs and shouted: “Journalists united will never be [...]