"Coalition 27" for the purposes of the ARTEMIS project "Improvement towards dedicated and concrete application of environmental standards" made an analysis of the negative impacts and application of environmental protection standards in the Tosčelik Ironworks with reference to EU standards.
"The ironworks provides a constant flow of technical water from the Liverovići reservoir. The water management consent that prescribes this aspect was issued 47 years ago and is invalid. According to the requirements of the IPPC permit, it was necessary to provide a water permit within one year of its issuance. "According to data from the Water Administration as the competent authority, the Ironworks has not yet submitted a request for the issuance of water documents," the statement of the Coalition states.
As they point out, the Željezara with its production process also has a negative impact on river flows and they remind that Bistrica and Gračanica are not rivers of constant flow, but that their beds are constantly polluted by various industrial waste waters, primarily from the Željezara.
"Gračanica is burdened with industrial waters from its upper course where bauxite waters occasionally spill from the Biočki stan mine, and then downstream it receives wastewater from the Željezara and other industrial plants. Bistrica accepts industrial waste water at the very source where the presence of fuel oil has been recorded. This is happening in the neighborhood of Rubeža on several private plots in the immediate vicinity of Željezara, i.e. Čeličana", the announcement reads.
According to the data obtained from the locals, as stated by "Coalition 27", the presence of fuel oil in Bistrica was recorded for the first time after the 1979 earthquake.
"It is assumed that fuel oil is leaking from fuel oil tanks that are located right next to the steel plant and at a distance of about 200 meters from the plots".
Based on the Report on the implemented activities from the Program of Measures and Integrated Permits for 2019, which was done by Željezara Tosčelik, it can be seen that water quality monitoring of the Gračanica and Bistrica rivers was not implemented. As the reason why monitoring was not carried out, it was stated that they could not arrange an appointment for sampling and analysis with the authorized organization, due to their busy schedule.
In 2019, surface water monitoring was carried out for the first time in accordance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD) at locations that are significant in terms of the impact of the Ironworks: Zeta-Vranjska njiva and Gračanica, near the bauxite warehouse.
"The monitoring results at the mentioned locations showed that Zeta has a very poor and Gračanica a moderate overall ecological status. "Coalition 27" invites the ecological inspection to monitor the industrial waste water of the Ironworks flowing into Bistrica and Gračanica, in cooperation with the Center for Ecotoxicological Testing, in order to obtain objective information about the quality and consequences of negative impacts," said the statement of the said Coalition.
They point out that due to the level of negative impacts, it is necessary to conduct tests of the waters of Bistrica and Gračanica at several locations, when the river flows are active, and include the results in the Report on the State of the Environment in Montenegro.
"We call on Tosčelik to intensify work and activities in order to avoid environmental accidents and to improve environmental protection measures, primarily to work on water protection. As a first step, we believe that operational plans for the rehabilitation of fuel oil storage facilities should be developed in order to stop the spilling of dangerous liquid waste into the environment".
At the beginning of 2019, Željezara Tosčelik obtained an integrated permit for the operation of the Steel Plant, Kovačnica and Energana plants, developed an accident prevention plan, but the consent of the competent authority has not yet been obtained for the said Plan.
"Coalition 27" will organize a panel discussion at the end of March in order to open a dialogue on the topic of environmental pollution by the Tosčelik Ironworks and steps to overcome the current situation.
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