No radiation detected after emergency inspection of Skopje landfill

After conducting extraordinary inspection of the Drisla landfill near Skopje, the State Environment Inspectorate has concluded that the company has been abiding by an order to shut down the incinerator while anti-pollution measures are in force.

The incinerator hasn’t been in use since 1 January 2018. In the meantime, hospital waste transported to the landfill is being stored in containers.

This was revealed at Wednesday’s press briefing by deputy minister of environment and physical planning Jani Makraduli.

He said that a process for procuring a water filter for the existing incinerator was under way and was expected to be installed in the coming period.

According to an information from the management, all necessary procedures, including documentation, have been concluded. It is expected the equipment to arrive by mid-April after which it will be installed in the coming 45 days. The incinerator will be designed to both burn hospital waste and to produce electricity.

No radiation was detected during an inspection of the Radiation Safety Directorate in Drisla, Makraduli said claiming no medical waste had been imported in Macedonia between 2013 and 2017.

Drisla is the only landfill in Macedonia that is has the capacity to treat medical waste.

Speaking at the press briefing, Skopje Mayor Petre Silegov said 80% of the Drisla landfill since 2011 under a public-private partnership belonged to its concessioner, an Italian company, whereas 20% of the company were managed by the City of Skopje. Hence, he said, legally speaking, the City of Skopje’s jurisdiction to intervene is limited.

Both Silegov and Makraduli stressed that air pollution was a ‘multi-complex’ issue that couldn’t be solved immediately. Although being identified as polluter, the Drisla landfill is not the main contributor to alarming air pollution levels, they said.

Skopje, 10 January 2018 (MIA)