Diana Buzoianu accuses the authorities in Ilfov of having taken no decision regarding the pollution caused by illegal burning in Sintești

Interim Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu announced that the authorities had made no decision on declaring a state of alert following pollution caused by the illegal burning of waste in Sintești, Ilfov County. The decision was discussed at a meeting convened by the county prefect, Simona Neculae.

Buzoianu publicly criticized the outcome of the meeting, saying that the prefect’s proposal was to set up a working group that would return with data in three weeks and subsequently report monthly on the measures taken. The minister argues that such a solution cannot resolve a systemic problem and that, during the meeting, no authority provided a concrete example of a working group having stopped the phenomenon.

The minister had previously asked the prefectures of Ilfov and Bucharest to declare a state of alert and activate permanent intervention and monitoring mechanisms. She says that the air quality monitoring station in Sintești indicated moderate, poor or very poor air quality on 80% of days in 2026.

Buzoianu also says that, following seizures carried out this year, materials worth approximately six million lei were confiscated, which would demonstrate the scale of the illegal activities.