SOFIA - Citizens seeking the closure of a noisome waste site near their town have blocked the facility, leading to overflowing garbage cans in the capital, Sofia, and fears Sunday that epidemics could result.
"Sofia runs the risk of a serious epidemics spreading from its overflowing garbage cans," the interim mayor, Minko Gerdzhikov, said on national radio Sunday.
But rain and a drop in temperature at least brought some respite from the smell of rotting waste.
The city had promised to close the dump in the town of Suhodol and use it only for depositing building materials while three new waste sites were constucted.
But Gerdzhikov said the city was unable to keep the promise because protesters had blocked work at the other proposed sites as well.
So for the second time this year, Suhodol residents blocked the open-air waste dump at their town, leaving the city's garbage trucks nowhere to go.
The construction of an incinerator to ease pressure at Suhodol, which has been in use for 20 years, is still under discussion.
Gerdzhikov said that if waste trucks are still denied access in the Suhodol site Monday, he will refer the problem to the police.
07/03/2005 15:40 GMT