Sele River Polluted by Buffalo Sewage: 100 People Reported

A major environmental police operation, called “Silarus” , was conducted by the Naval Air Operations Department of the Guardia di Finanza of Naples to combat illegal building and pollution in the Sele river basin.

The Salerno Public Prosecutor's Office coordinated the investigations that led to the discovery of a worrying scenario: illegal discharges of livestock waste directly into the river, with serious repercussions on the entire ecosystem, both river and marine.

During patrols in the municipalities of Salerno, Battipaglia, Eboli and Capaccio Paestum , the naval units of the Corps detected large patches of sewage in the bodies of water coming from the mouth of the Sele river.

The analyses, conducted in collaboration with Arpac , confirmed that the source of the pollution was attributable to illegal discharges from livestock farms along the river.

The financiers discovered that three livestock farms were discharging 80 tons of animal waste directly into the Sele, without any purification treatment. The farms involved approximately 1,400 buffalo heads .

These illegal practices have caused serious environmental damage both to the watercourse and to the sea in front of it, altering the balance of the coastal ecosystem.

During the operation, also conducted with helicopters equipped with photogrammetry systems and georeferenced drones , all the abuses along the Sele were mapped in detail.

The military personnel of the Naval Operations Section of Salerno carried out 84 inspections , finding irregularities in 95% of cases , with the discovery of illegal buildings covering over 700 m2 used as stables, built without permits.

The toll is very heavy:

• 79 criminal seizures
• Over 725,000 square meters of river public land illegally occupied
• 100 people reported to the Public Prosecutors of Salerno and Avellino

Operation “Silarus” represents one of the largest environmental interventions ever conducted along the Sele River. The objective is to protect the water and natural heritage of the Salerno area , put at risk by illegal and unscrupulous activities.

The investigations continue, with the analysis of the seized material and further investigations into the responsibilities of the entrepreneurs involved.