Torre del Greco – Despite reports to public officials, complaints, and court filings, environmental damage has long been visible at the entrance to the western dock of the port area, where the shed used for collecting used oil and batteries has become a source of serious pollution.
An unacceptable condition just steps from the sea, plain for all to see, where oil spills, indiscriminate abandonment of batteries, containers overflowing with liquids, and bags of waste can be found.
“Is it even possible,” Franco, a sportsman and frequent visitor to the pier for exercise, tells us, “that in the face of such a disgrace, no representative of the municipal administration led by Mayor Luigi Mennella, much less the Port Authority Corps – Coast Guard or anyone else, is monitoring and intervening to organize a serious cleanup operation and secure the area.
"We citizens," continues the elderly athlete, "aren't interested in knowing which institution is responsible for the necessary intervention. But this outrage, for the good of the community, must be eliminated as soon as possible."
A hope shared and expressed by a couple of foreign yachtsmen present in the port. The distinguished gentleman and his partner, who practice recreational boating, told us that for years they have frequented various ports during the summer season, but have never encountered such severe environmental degradation: a public and service area contaminated by a heavy layer of oil, along with large bags of waste, and located close to restaurants and bars.
"It's well known that used oil," boating enthusiasts emphasize, "is considered hazardous waste that could cause harm not only to the sea and the subsoil, but also directly to human health." Perhaps our boating friends, lovers of the beautiful Campanian coast, are right, as in the area, especially during the hottest hours of the day, a harsh, pungent smell of tar can be felt coming from the precarious and unsuitable containers and from the used oil scattered across the now blackened ground.
“And to think that Mayor Mennella will surely have noticed this degradation, having been personally on site, here at the western pier in the month of July,” Giovanni, one of the pier's long-time frequenters, tells us, “on the occasion of the inauguration of the toilet facilities managed by a private individual, at a cost of 1 euro.
Therefore, we ask the institutions to take decisive action against those who manage the oil collection point, to restore safety and decorum, or to remove the dilapidated shed. This request,” he adds, “is addressed primarily to the current administration.
Since 2023, we have not seen any improvements in the area, even though the top staff at Palazzo Baroniale,” Giovanni emphasizes, “is a Cabinet Chief with expertise in issues relating to industrial property, safety, management, planning, and promotion of the port area. He also has two specific departments on the City Council, one with responsibility for the Environment, Integrated Waste and Water Management, and Soil Protection, and the other for Ecological Transition, Common Goods, and Participation to address the critical issue of pollution in the city.”
These roles and mandates were intended, according to the mayor's primary intentions, to significantly revitalize the port and the city as a whole, in multiple ways: economic development, addressing critical issues, increasing tourist attractions and capacity, and, last but not least, improving the functioning of the productive sectors, particularly shipbuilding. Unfortunately, the administration's aforementioned good intentions have remained merely guidelines and have not been implemented concretely.
Chronicles of Campania
Torre del Greco: Deterioration, abandonment, and danger to tennis courts
Torre del Greco – The "Tennis la Salle" sports facility, a jewel of the municipal heritage, has long been in an unacceptable state of disrepair and abandonment…
