May 24, 2024 10:57am
Prof. Gen. B. (ris) Emilio ErrigoExtraordinary Commissioner Delegate of the contaminated Site of National Interest of Crotone – Cassano and Cerchiara di Calabria, exercising the powers of necessity and urgency provided for in the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, 14 September 2023, requested the intervention of the Specialized Components of the Force of the Carabinieri, in order to eliminate the critical issues that can no longer be postponed that have arisen from the historical presence of the enormous quantity of waste (estimated at over one million tonnes) currently lying in private areas, now owned by Eni Rewind SpA and formerly owned by Edison SpA located near the maritime and river coastal strip, adjacent to the mouth of the Esaro river, in the immediate vicinity of the sea shore of the City of Crotone, falling within the contaminated Site of National Interest of Crotone – Cassano and Cerchiara di Calabria.
This intervention aims to move and transfer to treatment plants and suitable authorized landfills, the enormous quantity of waste of which approximately 49% is classified as “non-hazardous specials”, 35%, as “dangerous contaminated by heavy metals” and 16 %, as “dangerous specials with and in the absence of Tenorm and Asbestos”; in fact, part of this waste is considered highly dangerous because it is related to the exposome to which the citizens and residents of Crotone are exposed.
Resolving and overcoming this decades-long stalemate is fundamental for the defense, protection, public health and safety of the environment, biodiversity and ecosystems for the benefit of future generations.
The request for intervention from the Carabinieri Armed Forces and Police is aimed at identification outside the territory of the Calabria Region, of suitable treatment plants and landfills authorized to treat the waste present in the SIN area; on the national territory in relation to those suitable for the delivery of hazardous waste and, limited to special hazardous waste containing Tenorm and Asbestos, also on foreign territory, making use of national information and security bodies and foreign collateral bodies for such research.
This request follows and completes the information path wanted by the Extraordinary Commissioner who already in recent months has asked ISPRA to formulate and send a questionnaire to the national managers of authorized plants and landfills to know and confirm the possible fates of SIN waste .
All the foreseen administrative procedures in positive-sum coordination and cooperation activities are achievable thanks to the active, concrete, substantial and important collaboration of the top management of the Company Eni SpA, the CEO, managers and officials of Rewind SpA, Edison SpA , and working in close synergy with the competent Department and the competent General Directorates of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, of the Territory and Environmental Protection Department of the Calabria Region, of the competent Offices responsible for the protection and safeguarding of the environment of the Province and the Municipality of Crotone, with the support of the public environmental engineering company SOGESID SpA, the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection (ISPRA), the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA), and the Agency Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Calabria (ARPACAL).
The national authorities of the competent Ministries, the Judicial Authority of the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Crotone, the Provincial Authority of the Prefecture – Territorial Government Office of Crotone are constantly and dutifully informed of the actions carried out and the administrative procedures in progress , the competent Health Authorities of the Calabria Region, the Province and the Municipality of Crotone.
Correct information and transparent communication to citizens is guaranteed by the timely media coverage of local, provincial, regional and national media and press.
