WordBulletin

The Italian government pledged 150 million euros ($209.6 million) on Thursday to help solve a chronic garbage crisis in and around Naples and said it would speed up the construction of incinerators in the region.

Thousands of tonnes of rubbish litter the streets of Italy's third biggest city, where years of political incompetence, corruption and the influence of organised crime have all prevented the creation of a modern system of waste disposal.

With Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's struggling centre-right government facing a no confidence motion next month which could trigger early elections, the Naples rubbish crisis has become a serious embarrassment.

As well as pledging the extra funds, cabinet approved a decree law giving the governor of the Campania region of which Naples is the capital emergency powers to tackle the crisis.

The latest outbreak of a scandal which has gone unsolved for years and which contributed to the downfall of the previous centre-left government has centred around the town of Terzigno, in the national park around Mount Vesuvius.

Residents complain of the intolerable stench from a nearby rubbish tip and say illegal dumping of toxic materials has created a serious health hazard.

They have blocked access to the dump by rubbish trucks and protested vehemently against plans to open a new centre nearby to replace the existing site which is nearly full.

Thursday's decree, whose details still need to be worked out, would scrap the new dump in Terzigno, following two other planned dumps which have also been abandoned.

One option that is being considered is trucking Naples' garbage to other Italian regions or even abroad.

Reuters