A Carabinieri general who has
overseen the clearance of landfills and waste dumps across Italy
was named Wednesday as the new government commissioner for the
Land of Fires, the Campanian area where the mafia and others
have been burning toxic waste for years and pushing up cancer
rates between Naples and Caserta.
General Giuseppe Vadalà, who also invented Italy's anti-forest
fire task force, was named by Premier Giorgia Meloni.
He will have "the task of coordinating the reclamation of the
territory, entrusting him with extraordinary powers related to
the activities specifically indicated by the ECHR ruling", she
announced.
Last month, the European Court of Human Rights said in a ruling
that the Italian State is failing in its duty to ensure the
safety of the inhabitants in the Campanian area.
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".
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 said Italy had two years to draw up a comprehensive strategy
to address the 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.
Meloni explained that "the government wanted to include rules
that aim to address and resolve the long-standing issue related
to environmental pollution in the Land of Fires".
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