Published: Less than 30 min ago
Slowly but surely, the country’s most polluted areas are being cleaned of substances that are dangerous to health and the environment. Including last year’s measures, three out of ten of the listed sites have now been cleaned, states the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
According to the agency, a total of 3,745 out of 12,641 land and water areas have now been remedied. It provides a healthier environment, preserved natural values and the areas can once again be used.
An example is the Kolkajen area in Norrköping, where 3.1 tonnes of lead, 0.3 tonnes of arsenic and 1.4 tonnes of hydrocarbons of the PAH type were handled. This makes it possible to build 600 new homes in what is an attractive location in the city.
Approximately SEK 380 million of government funding went to post-processing measures in the most prioritized areas last year.
During the year, the county administrative boards received just over 100 million kroner from the state, equivalent to 87 annual workforces, for measures with contaminated areas.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is the national coordinating authority in the work with contaminated areas and for 2022 has made a consolidated report on the work.
The report has been prepared in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Sweden, the National Geotechnical Institute, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Maritime and Water Authority, the Fortifications Agency, the Swedish Armed Forces and the county administrations.