Lack of Environmental Care

The polluters are not afraid of inspectors' denunciations

The denunciations of offence of the environmental inspectors for the violators of the environment are no threat to them. Last year, due to the increased level of environmental degradation of the land, air pollution and pollution of the terranean and subterranean waters, throwing waste in inappropriate locations and increased noise, the State Inspectorate for Environment lodged 179 resolutions for removing the faults and 65 denunciations of offence. Ten industrial and catering facilities were temporarily closed and they were lodged another complaint for not obeying an authority in charge. The Inspectorate has done 999 controls on the field.

Vlatko Serafimov, head of the State Inspectorate for Environment, points out that the denunciations for polluting the environment are treated inappropriately by the courts and very often these cases are soon rendered obsolete. The fact that last year the Inspectorate received no feedback information regarding a solved case is also overwhelming.

"For years almost nothing has been changed in this field", says Serafimov. Having in mind the courts' inefficiency, the polluters are not afraid of the denunciations lodged by the inspectors. The low fines and the court's inefficiency are in favour of the polluters. The whole country is covered by only eight environmental inspectors, which is far from enough."

At the State Inspectorate for Environment they expect an improvement in the work after the decentralisation of the government, when each local government must have a department for environment, in charge of discovering the polluters of the environment.

 

D.M.