The “Mondal Industrija” factory has received approval for the Environmental Impact Assessment Study, i.e. the green light for the already built plants for the production of machine-made mortar and adhesives and vibropressed concrete elements. The plants have already been built on the site of the former lime kiln in Podglavice near Spuž, but “Mondal” had to get a green permit because they now want to use non-hazardous waste ash in production.
The Environmental Protection Agency recently issued approval for this document.
A group of locals told "Vijesti" this spring that cement produced here has been sold at this location since November last year, and that the certificate for that product states that it contains ash, which is why they are seeking answers from the authorities as to whether the plant is legal and whether the production is safe for the environment.
They claim that the facility is used for cement production, that it is not shown in the documents and that they suspect that it was built illegally - without a Study and probably without urban planning and technical conditions (UTU), and that they have written to the inspections. They asked the Agency not to issue a consent to the Study...
"The location is located within the III Protection Zone of the 'Rijeka Zeta' Nature Park. The project is being implemented in a zone that is not urbanized, but is in accordance with the spatial planning documentation. The location has been used for production purposes for a long time, so the project holder regularly monitors environmental segments in order to meet the applicable environmental quality standards at the project location and in its surroundings. The process of using non-hazardous ash waste itself cannot additionally affect the change in environmental quality in this area. In the part of the zone where the project location is located, there are no landscapes and areas of historical, cultural or archaeological importance. The nearest agricultural lands are located within individual residential buildings, the closest of which are about 230 meters away from the location," the study prepared by the company "Medix" states.
"Mondal Industrija", which is owned by Turkish investors, has so far received the green light for two studies, and is still awaiting the Agency's opinion on the third, which relates to the new grinding and mixing plant that has already been installed.
They expect the same impact as now.
In addition to "Mondal", the locals of this area are also troubled by the technical and construction stone mine of the "Maljat Stone" company, which is located 300 meters from this place, as well as the stone quarry of the "Mermer" company, which is about 750 meters away.
According to the documentation, the production of "Mondal" takes place on 91.229 square meters, of which the plants make up 3.450 square meters. In the existing facility, crushed material is delivered and placed in a drum, where it is mixed with cement, non-hazardous ash waste and lime, from which, with the use of chemicals, powdered materials for machine mortar and adhesive are obtained. Daily production at this location can reach up to 100 tons.
The documentation emphasizes that production also includes crushing technical and construction stone, and that they received environmental approval from the Secretariat for Urban Planning, Utilities, Housing, Transport and Environmental Protection in 2018, and that the plant is currently operating.
At this location, “Mondal” plans to incorporate non-hazardous waste ash into the production process through the existing silo.
"Estimation and calculation of cement dust and ash emissions, or pollution by cement dust and ash, is possible only through emissions from the filter at the top of the silo, or from the air outlet during the filling of the silo with cement and ash from the tanker truck. According to current European standards, the maximum dust concentration in the air outlet from the silo can be up to 20 mg/m3. According to the characteristics of the filters that will be installed on the silos, the concentration of the remaining dust content in the air is less than 20 mg/Nm3. The change related to the existing production process, which is reflected in the replacement of cement in one silo with non-hazardous waste ash as a filler, cannot produce more significant environmental impacts than the current ones," the Study states.
There is no sewage network at this location, so sanitary and fecal water is mostly drained into septic tanks.
Complaints are numerous, discussions are lively
Local residents prepared 27 comments on this Study, and a large number of them attended the public discussion on the document regarding the new grinding and mixing plant "Mondal". At the forum held in August, Milan Vlahovic from the Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly emphasized that citizens should report all possible violations of the law and alleged criminal acts to the Environmental Inspection and the Municipality of Danilovgrad.
That the discussion attended by "Vijesti" was heated is shown by the fact that Vlahović removed several citizens from it.
Local Radenko Simonovic then asked if the children there had to get cancer because of the dust for something to be done...
"They did the tests on my property, and the dust particles were above the restricted levels," he pointed out, adding that "Mondal Industrija" works at this location until dawn, which was later disputed by some of the company's workers.
Ilija Mitric He stressed that they are discussing the documentation for the facility that has already been built, but that they are also having problems with transportation, namely the numerous trucks that travel to this location both day and night. He added that the trucks are partly uncovered, which creates dust, and that the material is stored outdoors, which is blown away by the wind.
"The green belt should make up 48 percent of the area, but there is nothing of it except some bushes. Eight years have passed since the first works, but nothing was felt then, while it is felt now. When the wind blows, we are in a cloud of dust...", he said.
One of the locals said that the new plant has been operating for eight months, although the permits for it are still being discussed. The processor of the study from the company "Medix" Milan Maras stated that the plant has been installed, but is inactive, and that “Mondal” also has a warehouse for storing materials. He also announced that landscaping of the site with cypress trees around the factory and greenery inside it is planned.
Executive Director of “Mondal” Cemal Aslan said that the new plant is a prefabricated facility, that between four and five million euros have been invested in the machinery and that they have up to 30 workers. He also claims that they could already carry out production with existing machinery, but that they have acquired modern technology for greater capacity.
He added that the road over which the trucks travel is a public good and that he is ready to help build a new one, that he spends thousands of euros annually on dust measurements and that he will do everything according to the state's orders - in case of complaints. Asked about trucks that travel in the early morning hours and machines that work during the night, he emphasized that the machines have to work due to the stored materials and the nature of the work.
The Municipality of Danilovgrad stated at the time that they would begin the reconstruction of the local road at the initiative of citizens, because the investor was also ready to pay for its construction.
Production allegedly illegal
Preokret councilor for Danilovgrad Vuk Iković said in August that he had requested an urgent inspection on the ground, because, as he claims, cement has been illegally produced in the village of Podglavice for months, while the investor does not have a permit for that activity.
He then requested a new public hearing on the grinding and mixing plant, because the previous one was held in the midst of the worst of the fires and during business hours when most locals could not attend.
"The study currently under public discussion conceals the true nature of the work; instead of clearly stating that it is about cement production, it only talks about 'grinding and mixing powdered substances'. While the papers avoid the truth, locals are inhaling clouds of black dust from clinker - the basic raw material for cement. This dust endangers the respiratory tract and human health, and the study does not consider its harmfulness," Iković said.
Instead of protecting citizens, as he said, this is an attempt to legalize production through a formal procedure.
The green belt should make up 48 percent of the area, but there is nothing of it except some bushes. Eight years have passed since the first works, but nothing was felt then, while it is felt now. When the wind blows, we are in a cloud of dust...
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