More than 4 thousand square meters of land occupied by waste, around 20 tons of abandoned materials, including car carcasses, abandoned boats, gas cylinders, used oils, batteries and building waste. It is the balance sheet of yet another environmental disfigurement discovered within one of the most precious natural areas in Italy: the Po Delta Park.
The operation, conducted by the Guardia di Finanza of Rovigo together with the Air and Naval Operations Department of Venice, led to the seizure of a large rural area in the municipality of Porto Viro and the reporting of five people. Three companies were also involved and reported to the Prosecutor’s Office for administrative liability of the entities.
The illegal landfill was identified thanks to a monitoring activity that combined air, naval and land checks. Helicopter overflights, observations from naval units and field checks made it possible to identify what, according to investigators, would have been used as a real illegal storage area for waste, including materials classifiable as special and dangerous.
The images that emerged during the searches reveal a disturbing scenario. Gas cylinders, used lubricating oils, batteries and other potentially polluting materials had accumulated inside the house in the area. Outside, however, an expanse of wrecks: old boats, nautical engines, car wrecks and piles of material from demolition and renovation works.
Of particular concern is the possible impact on the surrounding environment. The ARPA Veneto technicians, who intervened during the operations, are in fact checking for any contamination of the soil and the aquifer. Fuels and oils stored in containers without the necessary safety guarantees were found on the site, with the risk of dispersion into the ground. According to what is learned from the GdF press release, to make the area safe, the intervention of the Fire Brigade was also necessary, called to manage the presence of numerous LPG, methane and acetylene cylinders abandoned among the waste.
According to what was reconstructed by the investigators, the owners of the land were found to lack the authorizations required by environmental legislation and were not able to demonstrate the traceability of the waste present in the area. For this reason they were reported for abandoning waste, including dangerous waste. The entire area has been seized and, at the end of the investigations, those responsible will have to remove the materials and clean up the site.
Once again, therefore, an area of extraordinary ecological value comes under pressure due to illegal practices that put habitat, biodiversity and natural resources at risk. Damage which, in delicate contexts such as that of the Po Delta, does not only affect the landscape but the entire balance of one of the most important ecosystems in our country.
For now the proceeding is in the preliminary investigation phase, therefore the principle of presumption of innocence applies to the suspects until a possible final sentence.
