Pollution with no guilty parties identified of the river Gela

Question for written answer  E-001925/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Ignazio Corrao (Verts/ALE)

In question for written answer E-002817/2019 I brought the polluted state of the river Gela to the Commission’s notice.

Some days ago the river’s water turned black, most likely due to pollution from untreated waste water that will end up in the sea.

This is a long-standing problem that has been going on for years now, during which time the authorities responsible have not issued any penalties nor have they taken any steps towards finding a solution.

This is causing enormous environmental damage as the spill kills huge numbers of fish before flowing into the sea without anything being done to contain it.

There are many drain outlets along the river connected to firms in the area but even now, after several years, it is still not known with any certainly where the pollution is coming from.

The outfalls should be inspected regularly, as required under the recovery plan and the Natura 2000 site management plan, and not just occasionally.

In view of the above:

• 1.Did the Commission take action as a result of question E-002817/2019?
• 2.Will it urge the authorities responsible to instigate a control and monitoring system for rivers in Sicily?
• 3.In its view, does this umpteenth spill constitute a clear violation of the EU’s environmental protection laws?