Several hectares of land are occupied by illegal landfills in six districts of Daghestan. Almost all of them were created spontaneously on land intended for agriculture, and specialists are concerned about environmental problems in these areas.

Last week, the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) carried out inspections which highlighted the problem of unauthorised landfills across the republic.

Specialists visited sites in the districts of Derbent, Khasavyurt, Babaurtovskom, Karabudakhkent, Kizilyurtovsky and Magaramkent. The specialists were expressed surprise that dumps were located within settlements, with some even adjoining residential houses.

‘There is rotting household, biological, and construction waste at these landfills. Plastic bags are scattered all over the area by the wind. The fertile layer of the soil is harmed because of this’, a spokesperson for Rosselkhoznadzor told OC Media.

‘In general, these spontaneous dumps affect the entire animal and plant world, the water, the atmosphere, not to mention how harmful they are to soil which should bear fruit’.

Inspections are continuing in other districts of the republic. Only one landfill turned out to be legal so far, a landfill for solid household waste in the Kizlyar District.

If the municipal heads of these six districts do not eliminate these illegal landfills, administrative fines up to ₽15,000 ($262) will be issued against them.