Residents of Pčinja and Studena Bara block Krasta landfill after six months of smoke
Villagers halted waste trucks from Kumanovo and demand that municipal and state authorities extinguish the persistent fire and stop air pollution.
About 100 residents of the villages of Pčinja and Studena Bara blocked the road to the Krasta landfill this morning, stopping vehicles that bring waste from Kumanovo. The protest is a response to persistent smoke and environmental pollution that locals say has lasted for more than six months.
Protesters announced they will not allow the municipal waste company to unload garbage at the site until local and state institutions take concrete steps to end the fire and the pollution originating from the dump.
Residents demand action
They called on the Municipality of Kumanovo, the Public Enterprise 'Cleanliness and Greenery' and other responsible agencies to resolve the long-standing problem. Organizers said repeated oral and written appeals were ignored, leaving residents with no option but to physically block access to the landfill.
"The blockade of the Krasta landfill is a forced response to the six-month ordeal with the constant pollution of the air we breathe due to the burning at the landfill, which is near our homes. This blockade is the result of the deafness of the Municipality of Kumanovo, the Public Enterprise 'Cleanliness and Greenery', as well as other institutions, which despite all our appeals, oral and written, remained deaf and did nothing to extinguish the fire at the landfill," said the president of the Pčinja Local Community, Aleksandar Ilievski.
Local leaders warned the disruption will continue until authorities present a clear plan to put out the fire and prevent renewed burning, citing health and environmental risks for the nearby settlements.
Photo: SDK.MK)
