Marco Lupo, director general of the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA), indicated that “unnecessary alarmism” should be avoided, adding that, according to the latest reports, “there is no point in leaving homes”.
The fire, which broke out just over 48 hours ago, destroyed the gasifier and Mechanical-Biological Treatment Plant 2 (TMB2) at the Malagrotta landfill, which covers around 240 hectares and receives between 4,500 and 5,000 tons of waste every day.
The Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, praised the work of the more than sixty firefighters who worked non-stop and prevented a major disaster.
At the moment it is about solving the problem created by the TMB2, which has been able to process up to 900 tons of unclassified garbage every day, almost a third of the three thousand that accumulate every day in this city.
“Fortunately, plant number 1, which treats about four thousand tons of waste per week, is intact and we plan to recycle it. It will be fully operational again once the area is safe,” Gualtieri said.
Lupo announced that while air quality is still being analyzed to release accurate data, ARPA has not found a significant increase in solid or liquid particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in the atmosphere. PM10 has not exceeded the limit of 50 microns per cubic meter (50 µg/m3).
However, some citizens denounced on social networks that in certain parts of Rome “it stinks of burnt and unbreathable air”.
The government of the capital ordered the closure of kindergartens and summer centers for 48 hours within a six-kilometer radius, as well as the suspension of schools and a ban on the consumption of food of animal and plant origin produced in the affected area. .
It also recommended “restricting outdoor activities, with particular attention to recreational and sporting activities, and keeping windows closed during persistent and foul-smelling fumes.”
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