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July 3 - July 10, 2011 |
EU chides Italy for Naples trash crisis
International community demands clean up, government denies health risks
After 20 trash fires in Naples raged into the morning, the European Union criticized the Italian government Tuesday for the relentless trash crisis, threatening sanctions.
"Recent events show that the Italian authorities have yet to find an adequate or definitive solution to the problem," said Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, threatening "pecuniary sanctions" if Italy failed to properly resolve the crisis.
The government, which has promised to find a solution to the problem in a Thursday cabinet meeting, insisted that the health concerns in Naples are not grave.
"There is no danger of an epidemic or of particular infections," said Health Minister Ferruccio Fazio.
"Except maybe some gastroenteritis," he added, which is a severe inflammation of the stomach and intestines resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting.
Hundreds from the Naples region of Campania protested in front of the House Monday, blaming the local mafia and the government for the situation, hoisting signs that read "Naples will become a huge land fill".
The mayor of Naples, Luigi De Magistris, said last week that the open garbage clogging the streets and passageways did pose serious health risks.
Authorities have removed 130 tonnes of rubbish since Monday, bringing the total amount of uncollected trash down to 1,430 tonnes.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano recently said that the central government had to intervene to resolve the crisis.
Last week, armed police escorts began accompanying garbage trucks as exasperated protesters resorted to tipping over dumpsters, blocking traffic and setting fire to the growing piles of waste that continue to choke the daily flow of city life.
Naples and the surrounding region of Campania have suffered similar crises periodically for a number of years.
The previous public outcry occurred last November when weeks of clashes and rising trash piles brought Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi to the city.
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