English
As the capital Skopje faces significant air pollution in its eastern areas, a ban on entry into the grounds of the old Vardariste dump site was ordered. Meanwhile, a firefighting plane using special foam was active against the fire in the larger Drisla dump site.
The two chronic issues of the garbage sites near Skopje are blamed for the pollution, as both sites catch fire in the dry summer months. Priem Minister Hristijan Mickoski warned about the possibility of deliberate arson, in the run up to the local elections, as the issue was eagerly picked up by the opposition parties.
We had a successful summer seasn, where I believe that we managed a series of fires well. In neighboring countries there were casualties, large settlements had to be evacuated, and we had little damage due to our good organization. It’s obvious that some did not like this and are using the pre-election period to stir panic and mistrust. We are following this very closely, Mickoski said.
The Prime Minister added that already three arrests were made in Vardariste, among illicit operators who were stealing from the site and causing fires in the methane rich environment. Mickopski promised that the next Mayor of Skopje will tackle the problem, by building a waste treatment facility in Vardariste that will also generate electricity from the methane.
