Works on construction of landfill in Pirot go as planned - ecological disposal of waste starting from spring 2010

Works on the sanitary landfill on the Muntina slope near Pirot, which commenced last spring, go as planned. That practically means that the landfill will be ready for use in spring 2010, as well as that the problem of city dumps in Pirot, Dimitrovgrad, Bela Palanka and Babušnica will finally be resolved. So far, 5.5m EUR have been invested, and the landfill that is being built according to all standards will satisfy the needs of the people in that area within the next twenty years or so.

- The landfill occupies the space of 18 ha. Major share of funds has been provided by EU, as well as by the Environment Protection Fund of Republic of Serbia, which still needs to pay its share. Local authorities in Pirot set aside about 1.4m EUR to finance all the works that preceded the commencement of works, including purchase of land, elaboration of the documentation, collecting of various permits and licenses, and similar expenditures. Neighboring municipalities, which were also obliged to participate in provision of funds for realization of that project, have not fulfilled their obligations yet, but that is the problem we will be dealing with later. They will probably have to pay higher tax for use of the landfill - says Vladan Vasić, the Mayor of Pirot.

According to his words, waterproof foil is being laid at the bottom of the landfill at the moment, and its task is to prevent waste water from entering the soil.

- Everything is done in accordance with the strictest environment protection standards. Waste water will be treated, and the waste will be first classified and then disposed of. The landfill also comprises the space for disinfection of trucks that transport waste to the landfill. This region will be one of the first in Serbia to get state-of-the-arts landfill - says Vasić and adds that the landfill will be run by the company that is about to be formed.

No protest

Last spring, the problems, which were later solved, emerged on the occasion of the commencement of works. Namely, the owners of about 30 weekend cottages on the Muntina slop were protesting for days, claiming that the nearby landfill would destroy their surroundings. That protest lost its strength when these people saw for themselves that the construction of sanitary landfill involved no danger. By the way, the contractor is "Alpine Porr".

Grad Pirot

Opština Dimitrovgrad

Opštinska uprava Bela Palanka

Opština Babušnica

Alpine d.o.o. Beograd

Ogranak Porr Bau GMBH Beograd

Fond za zastitu zivotne sredine Republike Srbije

Muntina slope

Vladan Vasić