Construction waste, plastic, and white goods have been piling up in Novaljsko Polje for the second consecutive year, with authorities failing to respond despite the risk of fire and debris being scattered by the bura wind.
For the second year running, Novaljsko Polje has been serving as an illegal dumping ground located directly beneath power lines, with locals warning of a growing fire hazard. Despite repeated reports, the situation remains unresolved, and each gust of the bura wind scatters the waste across the surrounding area.
A reader of the Morski portal, who wished to remain anonymous, described the scale of the problem in despair. "The authorities are turning a blind eye and nothing is being done. Every time the bura blows, everything flies across the field-from plastic and plastic bags to various props and the like," he said.
The dump contains a wide variety of waste-from construction materials and white goods to large quantities of plastic. Of particular concern is the fact that all of it is piled directly beneath the power line route, which, in the event of a fire, could have unforeseeable consequences for the power grid and public safety.
The illegal dump in Novalja is not an isolated case. Morski has previously reported on the dire situation in Lika, where illegal dumping is irreversibly destroying habitats and threatening groundwater contamination. Additionally, in Biljane Donje, an environmental time bomb has been smoldering for 16 years with no one defusing it.
An inquiry regarding the dump in Novaljsko Polje has been forwarded to the State Inspectorate. The editorial team at Morski has announced that they will inform the public of their response as soon as it is received. For now, it remains uncertain whether this report will suffer the same fate as previous ones-being ignored while the waste continues to pile up.
