The Minister of Environment and Water Petar Dimitrov is inspecting reported alleged sites of illegal landfils near settlements in the Montana region. The inspection is related to information about unauthorized contamination of land with waste. It also aims to check if municipalities have complied with the prescriptions of the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW) - Montana for cleaning up the sites.

During the inspection in the municipality of Lom, together with a team from RIEW - Montana, Minister Dimitrov came across a lit illegal dump, and a signal was submitted to the District Fire Safety Office. Immediate action was taken to extinguish the fire. The incident occurred on the land of the village of Traikovo, Lom municipality, and the contaminated site had been identified during a previous inspection, during which the RIEW had issued instructions for cleaning it. The deadline for implementation of the prescription has not yet expired, part of the waste has been cleaned up, but another part was pushed towards the river and set on fire. According to the inspection team, the fire was lit deliberately. At the end of the day, the fire was completely extinguished without any smoldering waste or fumes.

Once again, Minister Dimitrov checked how the instructions given by RIEW - Montana to the mayors had been followed. The inspection was in reaction to reports for contamination of land near the composting plant of Lom, as well as in the village of Staliyska Mahala.

The inspection continued in the municipalities of Valchedrum and Yakimovo, where previous inspections had identified unauthorized dumping sites. During the inspections today it was established that some sites had been cleaned, others were being worked on to remove accumulated waste, and for others the deadline for the prescriptions to the municipalities to remove the contamination was still running. On a site in the municipality of Yakimovo, which spans over three properties, mixed municipal waste had already been removed and construction waste was being cleaned up. An inspection of RIEW - Montana, carried out yesterday on the land of Boychinovtsi, found that the municipality had complied with the prescription on time and the land had been cleaned.

We remind that pilot projects for the eradication of illegal landfills in Montana have already been successfully completed, through the placement of cameras to monitor violators against re-pollution of already cleaned land. Litter cleanup is the responsibility of local governments, and local ministerial structures monitor compliance with these obligations.

A cleaner environment is a priority of the Minister of Environment and Water Petar Dimitrov, who personally participates regularly in inspections of contaminated sites, facilitates the introduction of new methods for control of violators and for interaction between responsible institutions.