It was once the headquarters of a regional company that conducted scientific studies, but at Poggio dei Pini, all that remains of the Hydrocontrol headquarters are the vandalized walls, left after years of neglect, and the immense amount of waste left by uncivilized people. The structure, which stands on a 4-hectare site still owned by the region, is a still-open wound for the Capoterra area : after being abandoned years ago, it has become a symbol of decay.
From the opposition benches, Councilor Silvano Corda starts from the complex of buildings left in the throes of neglect to reconstruct the map of illegal landfills in the area: "The situation at the former Hydrocontrol has become worrying. The area is overrun with waste of all kinds, much of it hazardous. It's unacceptable that residents are forced to live in an area where there's an ecological bomb of that proportion. There are other situations of degradation around the suburbs, and I believe it's pointless to search at all costs for someone to blame: Mayor Garau could probably do something more, perhaps by delegating a councilor responsible for environmental policies and establishing 24-hour surveillance, as he promised during his election campaign."
The mayor's response was swift, clarifying that the municipality has no authority over regional property : "I would like to point out that the Hydrocontrol area, abandoned for over a decade, prey to vandals and those who unscrupulously dump all kinds of waste, and where they even set fire to it years ago, does not belong to the municipality. In any case, that complex of buildings will soon be demolished to make way for safety improvements to the upper part of Poggio dei Pini. The image of Capoterra as being infested with illegal landfills is untrue. Every year we spend €60,000 on land reclamation, but it's obvious that we can't take care of areas that don't belong to us, like the Hydrocontrol area or the former astronomical observatory."
Roberta Maxia, commander of the local police, is ready to increase the frequency of checks on the territory : "The situation is under control. To combat this phenomenon, we have imposed numerous fines in recent years. Our investigations continue uninterrupted, and out of scrupulousness, we are ready to intensify our investigations."
