Bilaver in Benkovac: This Is Ecocide
Zadar County Prefect inspects illegal waste dump in former Kimont quarry, announces remediation with government support and prosecution of those responsible.
Zadar County Prefect inspects illegal waste dump in former Kimont quarry, announces remediation with government support and prosecution of those responsible.
Zadar County Prefect Josip Bilaver visited the site of an illegal waste dump in the quarry of the former company Kimont in the Benkovac area on Thursday. Accompanied by Benkovac Mayor Tomislav Bulić and Members of Parliament Nikolina Baradić and Ante Babić, Bilaver gave strong statements to the media after the visit, calling the entire case an ecocide.
"First of all, I express my outrage at what has happened here, as well as at other locations covered by this case, and in neighboring counties. I share the concerns of the residents because I live here myself, I drink water from our water supply, and I breathe the same air," said Prefect Bilaver, as reported by Z NET.
The message to those responsible for the illegal dumping was unequivocal: "For those who did this, not only here but also at other locations, I have a very clear message: in my opinion, they do not deserve to breathe Croatian air or drink Croatian water. This is ecocide, and I demand that the case be fully investigated, that all those responsible face the court, and that everyone who participated in this process in any way be held accountable."
Bilaver confirmed that county authorities are in constant contact with relevant ministries, the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. "We have sought a way to remediate a situation that, I repeat, we did not cause, but we will resolve it," he stated.
The Zadar County Public Health Institute has been tasked with continuous monitoring of air and water quality from the catchment area in that region, and the public will be promptly informed of all results. Minister Marija Vučković confirmed that work is already underway on a remediation plan for the landfill, with the Zadar County assisting the City of Benkovac and the state bearing the largest financial burden.
The Prefect also commented on the opposition, accusing them of cheap PR stunts and political exploitation of the situation. "They were not there when waste in Šepurine needed to be addressed, they were not there when we, together with the Government, solved the Crno Brdo problem, and they are also absent, especially those colleagues from SDP and Možemo, when it comes to solving other concrete issues, such as the remediation of Jakuševac," said Bilaver.
He added that those who have been unable to solve Zagreb's waste problem for decades can hardly teach lessons on waste management. "We are monitoring the situation, we understand the concerns of the population, and together with the Government of the Republic of Croatia, we will solve this problem. It is not easy, but we will solve it," concluded the Prefect.
It should be recalled that this situation comes a year after 35,000 tons of illegally dumped waste were discovered in Gospić, indicating a broader problem of illegal waste management in several counties.
