Bulgaria's Pernik: Abandoned by the State

Novinite is publishing the English-language version of an investigation into the impact of ill-regulated coal mining on the life in Pernik in southwestern Bulgaria. The text by Bulgarian journalist Dimitar Sabev originally appeared on the independent Bulgarian website Bodil.bg. 

The city, just 30 km from the capital, suffocates in smoke while ghostly concessionaires trample the law and pocket millions, writes Sabev.

Pernik is abundant with Coal for Sale signs. A cell phone number is included, and the price is around BGN 10 - no dumping where the "angle iron plays" (TN: Locals are said to settle their disputes with the help of angle irons. The city is famous for its metallurgy). Locals say that there are at least 300 colliery holes in the abandoned mines in the outskirts of the city. 10-20 sacks of coal can be extracted daily. There is no holiday for this dirty business: despite the fact that the holes may be inaccessible for six months during the year due to inspections, rain or frost, the "excavation" value still amounts up to several million BGN per year. Does anyone believe that all this money, dug up illegally a few miles from the city centre, end up in the pockets of these diggers?

For years Pernik has topped the charts for the city with the highest air pollution in the EU. People suffer diseases and complain about the high levels of particulate matter in the atmosphere, but still continue to burn the cheap local "kyumyur" (TN: dial. for 'coal') in winter. So there is enough work for the "moles" - that is how these illegal diggers are called. Dozens of immigrants from Kyustendil, Dupnitsa and other surrounding towns jointheir forces into the local swarthy (TN: colloq....