The soldiers of the Carabinieri Station of Gioia Tauro, during the execution of a targeted control service of the territory aimed at verifying water abuse and the regularity of some commercial activities, carried out checks inside two car washes finding, in one case , that the water meter had been stopped and not working since 2021.
After having regularized water users by deactivating abuses, the military's investigation focused more stringently on commercial activities and the consequent environmental and municipal authorizations. The absence of SCIA and AUA was established in both car washes. The Certified Activity Start Report (SCIA) is a declaration that allows companies to start, modify or cease a production activity, while the Single Environmental Authorization (AUA) is a provision that guarantees environmental obligations for companies to protect natural resources and the environment.
In addition to the aforementioned documentation, the lack of any other type of documentation useful for justifying the production activity was also ascertained. The owners of the car washes had not even registered in the FIR register for waste disposal, therefore not having any municipal authorization to discharge into the sewer system.
The investigations carried out by the Carabinieri of the Gioia Tauro station led to the denunciation of the owners and the criminal seizure of the two car washes, without any right of use. These controls have allowed the restoration of conditions of legality, guaranteeing the protection of environmental values, which are increasingly important in our modern society and whose respect is a duty for everyone.