'Ministry of Smoke': Activists Blame Government for Wasteland Fires

Activists of "Civic Resistance" protested on Thursday in front of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment regarding the fire that engulfed the waste field at the Elbasan incinerator at the beginning of the week, but also against similar cases in other cities in the country.

Activists blamed institutions for their inaction and called the Ministry of Environment the "Ministry of Smoke and Pollution."

"While citizens are inhaling the poison, the government and this ministry have systematically failed. It is failing to manage environmental and health bombs," said Migen Qirajhi from the Civic Center, referring to waste incineration.

"The ministry is failing to put out the fires, failing to hold those responsible accountable, failing to take measures to protect citizens," Qiraxhi added.

The waste field in Elbasan has been burning for three days, while previously the waste field in Vlora has also burned several times in a row, causing major pollution in these cities.

Activists called these fires "not random," while further blaming failed incinerator projects in our country.

"The repeated fires in the waste fields in Tirana, Vlora, Elbasan are much more than random events. They are the consequences of a crisis called 'failed incinerator projects' ," said Antonio Demiri, an activist and resident near Elbasan.

"While the country burns, institutions remain silent, residents consume the poison, and firefighters face the consequences ," said Demiri.

He added that in addition to the Metalurgjiku chimney that has existed for years, the residents of Elbasan will now have to endure another chimney that lights up whenever temperatures rise.

"Why has this incinerator not been operating for a long time, but continues to be paid for, why does all this waste have to be collected and become a mountain of waste that is then burned," said Demiri.

Demiri said that an immediate investigation should be conducted by the prosecution in order to bring those responsible, who are endangering the health of the residents of the area, to justice.

"Elbasan is not a garbage can. Our health is non-negotiable," he concluded./ BIRN