Mostar waste‑fire crisis sparks health and political concerns

A major fire at Mostar’s municipal waste landfill has released toxic smoke, prompting alarms over air quality, cancer risk and broader environmental damage. Residents near the dump, many of whom built homes illegally on the site, face exposure to hazardous fumes, while the city struggles to manage waste removal, often transporting it to other towns.

The incident has reignited long‑standing political disputes between local parties over landfill management and calls for a modern incineration facility. Critics argue that the ongoing political stalemate and lack of proper waste infrastructure have turned the dump into a “humanitarian and ecological bomb,” threatening public health and the Neretva River ecosystem.