Shocking Scenes in Western Zagreb: “No, This Isn’t Gospić. It’s in the Heart of the City”
Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
- The Za naš Črnomerec initiative published video footage that it says shows an illegal mixed-waste dump near Zagreb’s Črnomerec transport terminal.
- The group says recently felled forest exposed buried waste, including construction material, iron and plastic, as well as two damaged lakes beside a former nuclear shelter.
- Residents questioned whether the dump had contaminated local drinking water and called for state institutions and the European Union bodies working in Croatia to address the issue.
“No, this isn’t Gospić. It’s an illegal dump in the heart of Zagreb,” the civic initiative Za naš Črnomerec said in a social-media post. The group was referring to the waste crisis in Gospić while drawing attention to a separate site near the Črnomerec tram terminus, opposite a Konzum store.
The initiative says the green area contains buried and partly buried mixed waste, including construction material, iron and plastic. It also says the site includes two damaged lakes beside a former nuclear shelter. Recently felled forest, according to the group, made the illegal dump visible.
The lakes were allegedly used to supply drinking water to the shelter and are now filled with metal carts and rubbish. Despite the damage, the initiative says they still contain a considerable number of fish and remain connected to a water source originating on Medvednica.
No, this isn’t Gospić. It’s an illegal dump in the heart of Zagreb, at the Črnomerec tram terminus, opposite Konzum.
That claim has prompted questions about drinking-water safety. The group says Črnomerec residents receive drinking water directly from Medvednica and asks whether the illegal dump has contaminated water reaching local taps.
Za naš Črnomerec says the issue concerns Zagreb’s 800,000 residents and the 40,000 people living in Črnomerec. It called for the matter to be reported to state institutions, the State Inspectorate and European Union institutions operating in Croatia. The group also asked for the dump, along with 20 accompanying videos, to be placed on the agenda of a protest rally scheduled for Sept. 5, 2026. Questions sent to the City of Zagreb and Zagreb Holding were awaiting answers.
The question is: Has the illegal dump in Črnomerec contaminated the water in our taps, and are we in Črnomerec drinking safe water?
Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.