The Italian State is failing in its duty to ensure the safety of the inhabitants in Campania's so-called 'Land of Fires' (Terra dei Fuochi), an area where criminal organisations have dumped and burned trash and toxic waste for decades, the European Court of Human Rights said in a ruling on Thursday.
The Court said that Italy had "failed to deal with such a serious situation with the diligence and expedition required - despite having known about the problem for many years - specifically in assessing the problem, preventing its continuation, and communicating to the affected public".
The court said that some 2.9 million people live in the Land of Fires', where increased rates of cancer and pollution of groundwater have been recorded.
It ruled that Italy had violated of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights regarding the right to life.
It said Italy two years to had to draw up a comprehensive strategy to address the Terra dei Fuochi situation, set up an independent monitoring mechanism, and establish a public information platform.
It added that 35 pending applications regarding the Land of Fires from around 4,700 applicants will be adjourned for this period.
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