Diana Buzoianu criticizes the working group on illegal burnings in Sintești

Interim Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu criticized on Tuesday the decision of the Ilfov County Committee for Emergency Situations to establish a working group to combat the illegal burning of waste in Sintești, arguing that the structure does not include the Bucharest Environmental Directorate, the institution that manages data from the air quality monitoring station in the area.

Buzoianu stated that Ilfov County Prefect Simona Neculae had announced the previous day that the meeting would be reconvened within three days to consider declaring a state of alert. Instead, on Tuesday, the prefecture announced only the establishment of the working group.

The minister called the decision “superficial” and accused local authorities of delaying the adoption of real measures against illegal burning. She argued that piecemeal interventions are not sufficient to solve the problem and called for the involvement of all institutions and the allocation of the necessary resources.

On September 24, Diana Buzoianu had requested the urgent convening of a joint meeting of the Ilfov and Bucharest prefectures to declare a state of alert in response to the pollution caused by the illegal burning of waste in Sintești.