The so-called 'Ecomafia' has
"raped" parts of Italy with the dumping of toxic waste and the
whole country is responsible, Environment Minister Gianluca
Galletti said after arriving in the southern region of Campania
Thursday.
The powerful Naples-based Camorra mafia has long
infiltrated the rubbish-collection industry and has raked in
huge profits even as its illegal dumps and uncontrolled burning
of waste and other toxic materials have been blamed for
unusually high levels of cancer and other disease linked to
pollution that will plague future generations.
The burning of waste in the area between Naples and
Caserta has led to it being dubbed the "land of fires".
Although the waste is usually disposed of in southern
Italy, it is often produced by firms in other parts of the
country and sometimes by foreign companies too.
"The land of fires is a priority for my ministry,"
Galletti said after arriving in Naples.
"Here the land has been raped and the whole country is
responsible, so the whole country must tackle this problem...
"There are responsibilities that go from north to south
and no one is exempt, which is why it's a national problem.
"I'll come to Campania often because this land deserves to
be given back to the people of Campania and to all of Italy".
In February parliament passed an emergency environmental
law that, among other things, makes burning rubbish without
authorization a crime.
The law also introduced tougher controls on agricultural
land, where waste is often illegally dumped, which will be
reportedly checked and fenced in the next 150 days.
It provides harsh penalties for those found guilty of
burning waste and allocates an additional 600 million euros to
the 300 million euros previously granted to Campania to clear
land used for illegal rubbish dumps.
Levels of toxicity in the soil of land used for farming
will be tested under the measure.
This month the government said that products from areas
considered at risk would be stopped from going on the market
after Campania farmers and food producers said their sales had
been badly affected by the scandal.
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