There are unregulated landfills in one of the most expensive areas of Sofia. The reports are about the green areas, according to documents, between the neighborhoods “Vitosha“ and “Krastova Vada“.
There are tires, sofas, wardrobes, tons of piles of sand from construction sites and much more construction waste on site. Just meters from the first residential blocks of the “Vitosha“ neighborhood, there is a pile of bulky waste, bTV writes.
“I pass by here quite often and I'm glad you came because I don't know who throws out their trash. We've lived here for 5 years and someone always comes and throws out their things. Nature is taking over little by little“, said Anelia.
“We've been seeing a pretty unpleasant sight. For a few months maybe, maybe more“, explained Iva.
“I come here not every day, but at least once a week and I can say that now there's more trash than before. There was a very small pile of trash here, and now there's more and more“, said Polina.
“I think the trash is here temporarily. "They need to clean it up because it's one of the most expensive neighborhoods, but now it looks more like a village," Ala commented.
The road connects the "Vitosha" neighborhood with the "Krastova Vada" neighborhood. The future park “Lozenets“ is planned to be built there, but at the moment the place looks more like a large landfill.
“In my opinion, there are probably some authorities that are aware or should be aware that this has been the case for at least 4-5 years“, said Emil.
The Sofia Municipality explained to bTV that the terrains are private properties. In order to clarify who the owners are, a geodetic survey is needed.
So far, inspections have been carried out based on reports, and 3 pollution reports have been issued. No receipts or deeds have been handed out, as the owners of the land cannot be identified.
People in the area are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to walk not among garbage, but in a park.
„As far as I know, there are some plans to build a park here someday, and I suppose it is only right for such a large neighborhood as it is being planned to have a park, to clean it up, to build some alleys“, shared Emil.
„I can imagine there being benches here with a view of Vitosha“, said Ala.
However, the plans for a park there turned out to be just dreams and an urban legend. The municipality explained that there is no such project at all.
A check found that there are over 100 private properties on the territory of the green areas, with two of the larger ones being designated as fields and meadows. The rest are private, but designated as agricultural land and with a permanent use - another type of development, which would allow for the construction of new cooperatives.
The second location, for which a signal was received for illegal dumps, is only 2 kilometers from the center of the capital. It is in the "Lagera" neighborhood, near the "Zemlyane" thermal power plant. There used to be a road there, but it is now a huge dump.
The entire street is littered with garbage - construction, large-sized and household waste. Tires, broken glass, plaster, mattresses and sofas are part of the waste found on site.
The area of the road around the thermal power plant is littered along its entire length with unregulated waste. In places it reaches impressive heights and various shapes.
From there, traffic is directed to industrial sites in the area. Workers say that they often manage to clear a small part of the garbage on the road themselves. Others use the street to get faster from ul. „Zhitnitsa“ to „Sredets“.
„Since when has the garbage been like this? More than 10 years. I pass by here very often, because I'm in a hurry sometimes and I have to go as a more direct route“, said Georgi Petrov.
The Sofia Municipality has also been informed about this illegal dump. The land is municipal and the local government promises to take care of the place.
A procedure is being prepared to assign the cleaning to the municipal company “Sofekostroy“, which according to the municipality is yet another proof that when the terrain is municipal and there is authority, work gets done.
The Sofia Municipality appeals to everyone to report such cases.
Detailed statistics on the average prices of properties in Bulgaria by cities and neighborhoods can be seen at imot.bg