ZAGREB: Tens of thousands of people gathered in Zagreb's central square on Saturday to protest the government's failure to begin cleaning up more than 30,000 tons of waste in central Croatia that environmentalists say is polluting the drinking water in the area. The protest, one of the biggest in Croatia in several years, was dubbed "Walk for Lika", after the mountainous region where the waste is stored.
Authorities last year uncovered between 34,000 and 37,000 tons of waste, much of it imported from Italy in 2023 and 2024, at a site near the town of Gospic in Croatia's Lika region. The government pledged to clean up the site, but environmental groups say little progress has been made. Environmentalists say the waste, which they say includes medical and other industrial waste, is contaminating air, soil and water in Lika, a region known for its vast areas of unspoiled nature. They accuse the government of moving too slowly to remove it.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic visited Gospic on Wednesday and said the government had selected a contractor for the first phase of the cleanup, which involves removing waste from the site. — Reuters
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