Campania, according to the report Legambiente of the thirtieth anniversary, it is in black sheep on the illegal waste cycle front, with 22.400 crimes, 21.635 people reported and arrested with 10.252 seizures carried out.
In this sad ranking it is followed by Puglia (14.516), Calabria (10.810) and Lazio (9.989). A virus, that of illegal waste, which continues to infect Campania: 87 investigations (equal to 13,9% of the national total) developed by the regional prosecutors, with 594 precautionary custody orders (16,4% of the national total), 844 people reported (7,7%), 246 companies involved (14,2%); 8.850.930 tons of waste seized, based on available data, equal to 14,5% of the national total; there are also 80 investigations started in other regions that have affected Campania, for a total of 167 (26,7%).
"Twenty-two years have passed," commented Mariateresa Imparato, president of Legambiente Campania, "since we coined the term 'Land of Fires' in the pages of Legambiente's 2003 Ecomafia Report.
The recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights represents a fundamental turning point: it is a pilot ruling that requires a change of direction for the Land of Fires, a territory too long abandoned and a victim of environmental and social injustices.
In light of the decree that provides for the appointment of the commissioner for the Land of Fires, we ask to immediately define an extraordinary fund, with new resources in addition to those already available, for the reclamation.
We must work quickly to begin cleanup operations in these areas, which have been ravaged for too many years by eco-mafia groups and waste traffickers. We also call for the establishment of an independent oversight authority, initiating a participatory process, in the manner and within the timeframe indicated by the ruling, to ensure the effective and immediate implementation of the measures recommended by the European Court of Human Rights and to promote a new era of institutional and civic engagement in the areas most affected by pollution.
It's time for the winds of ecojustice to blow for the Land of Fires too. It's time for the Italian state to assume its responsibilities and take action to give these territories a new future," he concluded.
Comments (1)
It is really sad to see that Campania is still at the top of this negative ranking. It is important that the government seriously considers these issues and implements concrete measures to improve the environmental and social situation.