{"id":27447,"date":"2017-11-14T10:28:09","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T10:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev2.atlatszo.exot.hu\/?p=27447"},"modified":"2019-07-19T10:29:41","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T10:29:41","slug":"pata-rat-the-treasure-city-drowns-in-its-trash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atlatszo.ro\/en\/kornyezet-en\/pata-rat-the-treasure-city-drowns-in-its-trash\/","title":{"rendered":"Pata R\u00e2t: the \u201ctreasure city\u201d drowns in its trash"},"content":{"rendered":"

The landfill, located near Cluj-Napoca, is so high, one can barely see the top and the lake of leachate which merges into the horizon ends up in the yellow-brownish stream which flows into the Some\u015f river. The smelly leachate covering the sludge penetrates the soil, and reaches the field on the other side of the detour. From the collapsing landfill the garbage ends just a couple of meters away from the bypass road at the outskirts of the city. On-site report.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201eA Roma man and his son were mowing the grass at the foot of the landfill. He told me the grass was for the horse. It was heartbreaking to hear, and I replied that the grass is poisonous. They had already fed the horse with this grass and it didn\u2019t perish, he said. Cows were also put out to pasture in the field covered with leachate, where often the bodies of dead ducks are seen floating. It is very painful to see that people living here have no other choice and lack any knowledge regarding the health threats of living in such an environment\u00a0\u2013<\/span> said Istv\u00e1n Szak\u00e1ts, activist, and president of AltArt Foundation<\/a> managing cultural activities of the Pata-Cluj project<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Cows<\/a>
Cows are put out to pasture every day in the vicinity of the leachate, at the foot of the landfill. Photo: Kilin Zs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The collapsing landfill situated at a distance of 12 km from the outskirts of Cluj-Napoca, branded as the \u201ctreasure city\u201d, speaks of the indifference of the decision makers and shows the political, economic, environmental and social neglect with its severe health implications. The Pata R\u00e2t landfill has a loaded history: it was closed because it didn\u2019t meet the necessary requirements to continue to operate, the integrated waste treatment plant despite the promises, hasn\u2019t been built yet and the landfill, operated only on a temporary basis, couldn\u2019t take in any more load. On the 4th of October a fire broke out, putting it down took 24 hours. The landfill was in focus again due to the fire.<\/p>\n

The debate about the temporary landfill focuses on three issues:
\n\u2013 in case of another (intentional) fire the air will be contaminated with toxic gases
\n\u2013 due to the fire and the water used to extinguish it, the quantity of toxic leachate tripled and might reach the river Some\u015f;
\n\u2013 the overloaded landfill might collapse and endanger the eastern bypass road connecting Apahida and V\u00e2lcele.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The fourth issue hasn\u2019t been in focus: it concerns the life of the 1500 people living and working in the toxic environment of Pata R\u00e2t. Their survival depends on selecting the garbage, a work they do on the premises of the landfill.
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