Smoke and haze covered the skies of Belgrade today after a fire broke out at the city’s main landfill.
Authorities urged residents to stay indoors as firefighters struggled to put out the blaze at the Vinca landfill, about 17km from central Belgrade near the Danube River.
Much of the fire had been extinguished by nightfall but authorities said the facility would continue to burn in the coming days.
The mayor of Belgrade, Zoran Radojicic, advised citizens to close the windows and stay inside their homes if they feel smoke.
“Although we will see smoke in the next few days, there is no reason for fear or panic,” he said in a statement.
Forty-year-old Vinca is the largest open landfill remaining in Europe. It absorbs more than 1,500 tons of household waste and about 3,000 tons of construction waste every day.
Due to decomposition and poor waste management, fires that emit dense smoke are common in its facilities.
The Belgrade authorities and the French-Japanese consortium Suez-Itochu began construction in 2019 on a new landfill, incineration plant, and a waste use unit as an energy source.
Serbia is a candidate country for membership in the European Union, but before joining, it must invest more than 15 billion euros to comply with EU environmental standards, including those for solid and liquid waste treatment.
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
