Pernegg asbestos case

“We only ever find out everything from the newspaper!”

Der Kirchdorftunnel auf der S 35

(Bild: Pail Sepp)

After "Krone" report on asbestos in Pernegg's groundwater: head of the village amazed at the authorities' approach. FPÖ and Greens sharply criticize environmental councillor.

There was great public outrage when the "Krone" newspaper revealed last year that tons of asbestos-contaminated tunnel excavation material were stored in a now abandoned landfill site in Pernegg. But practically nothing has happened since then. Walkers still have unhindered access to the site and the toxic asbestos fibers can still spread unhindered.

As reported yesterday, a new report now proves that more and more fibers are even seeping into the groundwater. Geologist Walter Vortisch warned in yesterday's issue that asbestos can also get into the Mur and ultimately into the air.

The Greens are now calling for a rapid increase in speed in the examination of the remediation concept submitted by the former landfill operator Asfinag. "If, contrary to expectations, nothing has happened by the next provincial parliament session, we will in any case take parliamentary initiatives," says Sandra Krautwaschl, leader of the Green Party.

"Borders on endangering the community"
Harsher words come from the FPÖ: "The situation is unacceptable and the wait-and-see attitude of the responsible state councillor Ursula Lackner borders on endangering the community! Especially when it comes to water pollution, the situation is extremely delicate," says Hannes Amesbauer, member of the National Council. He calls on the Provincial Councillor to put an end to the "embarrassing shifting of responsibility".

In Pernegg itself, there is growing astonishment at the approach of the responsible authorities. "As those directly affected, we only ever hear about everything from the media. I will therefore be making representations to the state once again on Monday," says Mayor Eva Schmidinger.

Which is also symptomatic of the approach of those responsible in this matter: "When the landfill was opened, it was said that it was just an interim storage facility. During an inspection in 2016, it was again claimed that everything was safe." A deceptive certainty, apparently, which is strongly doubted by renowned experts.