Clouds of dust, blown by the strong wind from the ash and slag dump of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant on Maljevac, have been covering Zbljevo and other surrounding villages for the second day, and the dust particles ended up in the city center.
"Even before, large amounts of dust covered nearby properties. Every day is horrible, but today was beyond measure. The whole village is covered in dust. This is impossible to endure any longer," said Zbljevo resident Žarko Mišović.
He claims that there is no so-called water mirror in Maljevac, and that works are carried out on the landfill every day. The Maljevac landfill is only a hundred meters away from the nearest houses.
Environmental inspector Sejdo Đukić visited the Maljeva landfill yesterday at the invitation of the locals, who said that he would file a misdemeanor charge against those responsible for non-compliance with the landfill's maintenance obligations.
"The thermal power plant received an integrated license last year and is obliged to implement the planned measures. At the invitation of the locals, we visited Maljevac and found that a large amount of dust was being raised from the landfill due to the strong southerly wind. TE has an integrated permit and the environmental inspection will file a report for failure to implement measures in accordance with the integrated permit," said Đukić.
According to that document, TE Pljevlja is obliged to maintain a sufficient surface layer of water at the landfill and the executive phase reclamation of the Maljevac landfill, in the period 2018-2024.
The president of the local community, Dragan Lučić, said that great damage was caused to the properties, gardens and orchards of the locals who live in the immediate vicinity of the Thermal Power Plant.
"I don't know who will compensate the farmers for the damage caused by this ecological disaster. It is unbelievable that no one in authority is doing anything to protect the locals. "No one advertises to at least warn parents not to take their children outside, to close the doors and windows in order to save the children as much as possible from this situation, until at least the wind that carries the clouds of dust calms down," said Lučić.
For the expropriation of the real estate of the villagers of Zbljevo, which is necessary due to the expansion of the landfill where ash and slag from the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant are deposited, EPCG will allocate over 7,7 million euros. The most money will be allocated for land, 4,1 million euros, 1,9 million for houses, auxiliary buildings and fences, and 300.000 euros for forest land and trees. Relocation costs will cost Elektroprivreda 40 euros, and around 97.000 euros will have to be paid based on lost profits for two legal entities.
Due to the continued use of the Maljevac landfill, it is necessary to expropriate immovable properties located in a protective zone of 300 meters from the border of the landfill. Also, the settlement of Ljuća is affected to a lesser extent, because through part of this settlement it is planned to relocate the Paleški Potok to the Borovicko Lake.
It is planned to expropriate 22 residential, 33 auxiliary, 2 business and 48 illegal buildings, barns, garages and wooden sheds, from about 250 owners. In total, about 65 hectares of greenery will be expropriated.
10 families live permanently in the houses that will be expropriated, and nine families stay in them occasionally.
EPCG: Consequence of weather problems
For EPCG, the scattering of dust in settlements that are outside the city zone is a consequence of weather problems.
"The situation at the landfill is within the permitted limits, the water mirror exists and adapts to the needs of the landfill area. At the landfill in the cassette area, depending on the ash and slag standing out with water, there can be only one water mirror, which, according to the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, may or may not be formed, depending on the need in order to preserve the stability of the surface of the deposited material against the occurrence of spillage under the influence of the wind", EPCG announced.
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