It is the 20th day that the fire at the “Duboko” landfill has been suffocating the residents of Užice and its surroundings, and because of which the residents of the surrounding villages on Tuesday, 05/21/2024. organized the second mass protest at 18:00 in order to send a clear message that they do not put up with pollution and demand solutions, but also the responsibility of the representatives of the institutions.
In addition to the locals, concerned parents, experts and activists for environmental protection addressed the crowd. According to the Archive of Public Meetings, about 1,000 citizens gathered in Uzice, of which a little over 850 participated in the protest walk. This is a response that, in proportion to the population, would be equivalent to 25,000 people in Belgrade.
The demands were repeated from the meeting – the replacement of those responsible for the huge environmental disaster, the remediation of pollution and the closing of the landfill for further dumping of garbage. “Badly set and even worse implemented public policies and projects, unintended spending of funds, as well as carelessness and ignorance of decision-makers for the state of the environment and citizens’ health resulted in a huge ecological disaster.” they point out from the Right to Water initiative and Libergraf from Užice, who were participants in the protest.
Unfortunately, extinguishing the fire does not stop the pollution from this landfill, as these organizations warn. They previously announced that waste has been deposited at this sanitary landfill for years beyond the planned project, which has polluted nearby waterways and soil. At the protest, it was also announced that an independent group of experts will be formed to monitor all actions and give their recommendations for getting out of this difficult situation.
“In addition to the highlighted demands, we ask for an urgent analysis of water and soil, as well as agricultural products from the Luzhnika Valley, so that the public and experts know the true state of affairs and the institutions can take the necessary measures to rehabilitate and protect the health of the population,” concluded the Right to Water and Libergraf.
Parts of the address of Žaklina Živković, the executive director of Polekol, to the people gathered at the protest of the inhabitants of the village of Lun and its surroundings in Užice
