The red mud pools of the former Aluminum Plant are the biggest environmental problem in Montenegro, but since 2015 they have been privately owned, first by a Ukrainian businessman Roman Denković, and then a small company for the purchase of waste from Beran "Weg Kolektor".
In the past nine years, nothing concrete has been done to solve this problem, although the World Bank has been interested in financing its ecological rehabilitation since 2014. In recent years, the Environmental Inspection has issued several fines to the owners for endangering the environment and human health, and the Environmental Protection Agency filed a criminal complaint against the current owner of "Weg kolektor" last year.
"Red mud pools represent a complex challenge that requires a multidisciplinary approach and coordinated efforts to adequately address this issue. Inspection supervision and continuous monitoring are only some of the steps that have been taken so far. The working group that was formed to consider the problem looked at different options for solving the situation. One of the proposed short-term measures is the revitalization of wells and the construction of a sprinkler system in order to reduce the emission of dust and potentially harmful substances," the Environmental Protection Agency told "Vijesta".
On September 14, 2014, the World Bank approved a loan of 50 million euros to solve several environmental problems - starting the decontamination of the former Bijela shipyard, rehabilitating the site where the mining remains are located in the village of Grada and the ash dump near the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, as well as the preparation of technical documentation for rehabilitation of the red mud pool.
Obligation of the owner to pay for rehabilitation
"Through the project 'Management of industrial waste and cleaning', the main project for the reconstruction of the red mud basin was completed, which was also approved by the auditor, as well as the Elaboration of the assessment of the impact of the reconstruction of the red mud basin on the environment (EIA), which was approved by The Agency for Environmental Protection and the Elaborate on the Assessment of the Impact of the Reconstruction of the Red Mud Basin on the Environment and Society (ESIA), which was approved by the World Bank in accordance with the procedure", stated the Agency.
When asked by "Vijesti" who is obliged to rehabilitate this potential ecological bomb - the state or the private owner, the Agency replied that it should be done by the owner.
"The current owner of the red mud pool is WEG Kolektor Berane, so the responsibility for the implementation of all activities, projects and plans related to the red mud pool rests with this company," stated the Environmental Protection Agency.
From 450.000 to five million
Denković bought the basin, which occupies 450 square meters of land, in 2015 from the bankruptcy administration of KAP for 450 euros, with the intention of extracting rare metals from the red mud, the amount of which is estimated at 7,5 million tons. , which according to earlier analyzes has about 7.500 tons.
However, he sells the pools the following year to "WEG Kolektor" for an unknown amount of money, and this company from Beran pledges them for a loan of five million euros from Blackrock Capital Podgorica. In 2016, the owner of Weg Kolektor was a twenty-year-old man Lazar Jevric, while his father Siniša Jevrić was wanted by Interpol due to his alleged connection with the drug trade.
Since then, Jevrić has repeatedly made statements to the media that they plan to start red mud processing, announced partners from Britain, Switzerland, Germany, but so far nothing has happened. "Vijesti" sent questions to this company regarding their plans, fines and criminal charges they received for violating the law and endangering the environment and people's lives and health, but they did not receive an answer.
There is a danger, the prosecution is investigating
"The Environmental Protection Agency issued a Decision on the initiation of the procedure of immediate danger of damage to the environment, as well as ordered the operator to carry out concrete protection and rescue measures at his own expense in the part of preventive protection in accordance with the Enterprise Plan, and in accordance with the Law on Protection and Rescue . Since the operator did not submit a dynamic plan for the implementation of specific preventive measures, nor did it inform the Agency about preventive measures undertaken, the Agency informed the operator in April 2022 that it will act in accordance with Article 16 paragraph 7 of the Law on Liability for Environmental Damage, that is, it will start implementing preventive measures at the expense of the operator . In the end, the Environmental Protection Agency filed a criminal complaint dated February 15, 2, against WEG Kolektor and the responsible person in the legal entity", informed "Vijesta" from this Agency.
"Vijesti" sent questions to the Basic Prosecutor's Office from Podgorica about what happened in connection with this criminal report, but did not receive an answer. According to unofficial information, the prosecution launched an investigation, took statements from the Agency, environmental inspectors and Jevrić, so that procedure is still ongoing.
Analyzes done, the results are not available to the public
The Environmental Inspection, as the Agency stated to "Vijesti", in recent years submitted the necessary documentation to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica - evidence related to the events at the red mud pools, when under the influence of wind from the dry surfaces of the pools, the property of the locals was covered with red dust. which is located near the pool, for further processing.
"After finding out about the situation in the pools, the Environmental Inspection notified the prosecutor on duty and engaged the authorized laboratory, the Center for Ecotoxicological Tests (CETI), which performed urgent immission measurements of air quality and suspended particles in the environment of the red mud pool," the Agency stated. .
"Vijesti" asked CETI what was determined by these tests, but they replied that they could not announce it because, according to the contract, the owner of those results is the client, the Ecological Inspection, which can only present them to the public.
The Directorate for Inspection Affairs, which is part of this inspection, did not respond to the questions of "Vijesti" regarding these investigations.
Even from the Agency, they could not give a clear answer to what the analyzes determined, as well as to what extent the substances, which are blown by the wind from the pool to the surrounding villages and which can be mixed with surface and underground water, are hazardous to the health of people and animals.
"As part of various initiatives, analyzes of the contents of the red mud pools were carried out in order to gain insight into their condition. These analyzes are useful for looking at potential problems and identifying the necessary steps to solve them. It is important to note that these findings are taken into account in the wider context of cooperation and dialogue between relevant parties. Our focused activity is on approaches that will contribute to solving this issue, with the aim of achieving sustainable and efficient solutions", stated the Agency.
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