Although experts claim that the biggest ecological disaster since Montenegro's existence occurred in June of this year, when wastewater from the Šuplja stijena lead and zinc mine's tailings reached Ćehotina, the Government of Montenegro, at the beginning of September, extended the concession of the company Gradir Montenegro, which manages the mine, for another 20 years.
Professor at the Faculty of Science and former State Secretary at the Ministry of Ecology Danilo Mrdak claims that the biggest ecological disaster since Montenegro existed has occurred, and that everyone practically kept quiet about it.
"The entire tailings pond has leaked, and worst of all, through the underground, and now every time it rains heavily, all that poison will come out of the spring," warns the professor.
According to the data he obtained Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG), the June incident was just an escalation, and the pollution of the Ćehotina River has been going on for years. In the past six years, the Center for Ecotoxicological Testing (CETI), according to analyses provided to CIN-CG by this institution, has repeatedly determined that the water quality in the Ćehotina River was significantly worse after the operation of the ore flotation plant at the Šuplja stijena mine. However, there was almost no reaction from the authorities.
"Such chemical load poses a serious risk to the ecological status of the river, and the contamination is evidently not limited to the mouth of the Badanj spring, but continues to spread downstream," concluded CETI in its latest examination of the Ćehotina, from July this year, after the spill of the mine tailings in Pljevlja.
In mid-September, wastewater from the mine was again poisoning the river, detected in a spring above the village of Prošće, about 10 kilometers upstream of Ćehotina compared to the Badanj spring, into which tailings (hazardous waste) spilled in June.
"Every heavy rain will move the slag that has flowed from the tailings pond and is located in underground cavities, which will continue to emerge into the light of day in the coming period, through some of the springs in the canyon of the Ćehotina River," he assesses the event from June and Vaso Knežević, president of the Lipljen Sports Fishing Club (SRK), which manages fishing waters in Pljevlja.
He warns that Gradir Montenegro, the company that manages the mine, kept quiet about the incident in June, and that the authorities and the public were informed about it by this fishing society.
"SRK Lipljen has addressed all relevant institutions of the system in Montenegro that deal with environmental protection and waters of state importance, however, each of them is passing the ball to another body."
The Water Inspectorate and the Environmental Inspector, adds Knežević, have submitted the case to the Basic State Prosecutor's Office (ODT) in Pljevlja. "The fact is that the legal entity responsible for the accident and the resulting environmental damage is known. It is also a fact that the company Gradir Montenegro, which exploits lead and zinc in the mine, did not intentionally cause the environmental accident, but it is also a fact that they kept quiet about everything, which is a criminal offense given the dimensions," emphasizes Knežević.
Mrdak also reminds that Gradir Montenegro did not report the incident, but that, after a week of flowing into Ćehotina, fishermen found bluish-gray water at two springs.
"It's about a four-hectare tailings dump, roughly the same size as the tailings dump in Mojkovac," he says.
CIN-CG did not receive answers to numerous questions from Gradir Montenegro - what they will do to prevent such incidents from happening again, why they kept quiet about the tailings pond overflowing, and how they comment on experts' statements that every time it rains heavily, the river will be further polluted. We asked, among other things, how they comment on the fact that CETI has been determining for years that the river is more polluted due to the ore flotation plant, and what they have done to ensure that the mine's operation has a less negative impact on the river.
The ODT in Pljevlja told CIN-CG that the proceedings are still in the investigation phase, and that evidence is being collected, including expert reports, to determine whether there is a criminal offense that is being prosecuted ex officio.
INSPECTOR SAYS SPILL PROBABLY CAUSED BY SUDDEN GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENON
After the June incident, a mining inspector determined that the damage was caused by the formation of a cavity in the flotation tailings pond soil, due to a sudden geological event, most likely an earthquake, landslide or rockfall. They further explain that this allowed water from the flotation pond to find an underground path to distant sources, causing pollution of waterways.
The Ministry of Energy and Mining told CIN-CG that following an inspection, a temporary measure was issued to suspend mining operations on certain parts of the mine's tailings pond. They explained that this measure does not mean the complete closure of the mine, but was adopted as a preventive and protective measure after an environmental incident caused by an event that, according to the Law on Protection and Rescue, qualifies as a "major accident," given the damage to the environment and contamination of the Ćehotina River.
"It is important to point out that there was no physical damage to the tailings dam as a mining facility, nor did the accident occur due to inadequate performance of mining works. The geological phenomenon acted as a force majeure, with effects that extended beyond the territory of the municipality of Pljevlja. Given the sensitivity of the situation, the manner in which the concessionaire Gradir Montenegro approached the rehabilitation of the cavern (cavity) will be further reviewed. The legality of the conduct in carrying out mining works during the rehabilitation will be decided by the competent court in Pljevlja, at the request of the mining inspection," the Ministry told us.
Professor Mrdak, however, explains that most of what is not good ends up in the tailings dump, and that it is a large pit that has a foil at the bottom, which is certified to withstand seismic activity.
"It's a big mystery how it happened, because those foils are all certified for those things. They say there was an earthquake in Bosnia, so it broke, but that's unbelievable. Wherever you have mineral wealth, it's usually a seismically active zone," Mrdak points out.
Mrdak reminds us that there is a procedure that had to be followed in these cases, but he suspects that someone made an effort to cover all this up.
"A sediment analysis has not been done, the inspection should order it," emphasizes Mrdak.
The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development has not responded to questions about this incident, nor why the environmental inspection ordered the sampling of only surface water, and not the water and gravel from the tailings pond and land above and below the Badanj spring.
The Environmental Protection Agency told CIN-CG that it had issued an urgent decision ordering Gradir Montenegro to cease all further operations and activities related to the disposal of tailings at the mine's flotation basin. However, an appeal has been filed, which will be decided by the Ministry of Ecology.
The Agency has also ordered Gradir Montenegro to establish the methodology, as well as the necessary type of measurements, which it is obliged to conduct, in order to determine the risk to human health and the environment.
"We expect the Ministry of Ecology to reject the appeal, because someone must be held accountable for environmental damage and to repair it. If these and similar environmental incidents go unnoticed and without any punishment, then our 'ecological' state and its system of functioning are worthless, and certain responsible persons should resign," Knežević assessed.
ALL DRINKING WATER SOURCES DOWNSTREAM CONTAMINATED, POLLUTION AND TRANSBOUNDARY
Knežević warns that the scale of the latest environmental accident is large and not limited to Pljevlja and Montenegro, but that the pollution is also transboundary, as the water flows and carries the pollution downstream, including into the Drina River in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Also, all drinking water sources at lower altitudes relative to the Šuplja stijena mine tailings pond are contaminated.
Professor Mrdak also explains that the mine is located right on the border with BiH, and that in the neighboring country, right after the border, there are four villages that use that water.
"This is also a huge interstate incident, we delivered our tailings to Bosnia and Serbia via the Ćehotina and Drina rivers," emphasizes Mrdak.
Knežević says that BiH, from high state addresses and from the level of local municipalities of Foča and Goražde, was interested and sent letters to our Ministry of Ecology requesting that they be provided with information on what the state of Montenegro had done regarding this environmental accident.
"We are not sure that our institutions responded to this incident the way they should have. There may be a certain lobby from the European Union (EU) that the Polish company continues to exploit lead and zinc without hindrance... But whose interests are we protecting then?" asks the president of the Lipljen fishing association.
We did not receive answers from the EU Delegation to Montenegro on how they assess this, according to many domestic experts, the largest environmental incident in Montenegro, and what reactions the EU considers appropriate in cases where a private company (in this case owned by a foreign company) causes significant environmental degradation, especially if there is transboundary pollution. We also asked what they think about the reaction of Montenegrin institutions in this case - especially in terms of speed of response, transparency and implementation of measures to repair the damage.
The concession agreement with Gradir Montenegro was signed back in 2006 and was due to expire next year. However, the Supplement to the Annual Plan for Granting Concessions for Detailed Geological Exploration and Exploitation of Mineral Raw Materials for 2025 states that, a few days before this ecological disaster, it was proposed to extend the concession to Gradir Montenegro for 20 years. The Government adopted the Supplement to the Annual Plan a month ago, at its session on 4 September.
"The extension of the concession is not surprising, given that representatives of the same government are not reacting or publicly commenting on this cross-border incident," Knežević points out.
The Supplement to the Plan states that through surface mining from the Šuplja stijena deposit, from 2010 to 2024, Gradir Montenegro exploited around 7,25 million tons of ore, produced and exported around 171.000 tons of selective zinc concentrate, around 47.000 tons of selective lead concentrate with silver, and around 36.000 tons of collective concentrate.
"The verified geological balance reserves and exploitation reserves of polymetallic sulfide ore defined by mining documentation enable the planning of annual production of 600.000 tons of ore per year," the Plan Supplement states.
Gradir Montenegro is owned by the Polish company ZGH from Boleslaw, and has a long-term concession for the exploitation of zinc and lead ore at the Šuplja stijena, Đurđeve vode, Paljevine and Ribnik deposits.
The Ministry of Mining, Oil and Gas previously announced that 50 million euros had been invested in the opening of the mine. Production amounts to 550.000 tons of ore per year, with an average content of 2,5 percent lead and zinc. Annually, they produce 18.000 tons of lead and zinc concentrate.
The company, according to data from 2024, employs 162 workers. The total value of the company's assets, according to business books, is estimated at around 17 million euros. According to data from Poslovna mreža, last year it had a revenue of almost 15 million euros.
In addition to lead and zinc, which make up 97 percent, Mrdak says that the mine contains traces of gold, silver, and mercury.
The professor says there is also a problem inherited from the communist era - old pits leaking mine water. However, he adds that in 2006 the government only obliged the Polish company by contract not to worsen the environmental situation, instead of ordering it to remediate that problem as well.
"We tried to solve the problem of leachate from manholes, it could be solved for 100.000 euros, and they got millions... But when I left my position as State Secretary at the Ministry of Ecology, no one was interested in it anymore," says Mrdak, adding that the concessionaires are not affected by it because they are not legally obliged to deal with it.
He reminds us that the Polish company exports all its ore to Poland, and that we are just a resource base.
ČEHOTINA PARTICULARLY AFFECTED BY INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION
The Spatial Plan of Montenegro until 2040 states that from the aspect of pollution threat, two parts of Ćehotina stand out: the Vezišnica River above its mouth and in the Gradac zone.
"Water pollution is a limitation that needs to be addressed as a priority: for the Ćehotina River downstream of the Pljevlja Coal Mine... it is necessary to take measures to prevent pollution, eliminate the causes, and determine the future use of the space in a way that ensures a watercourse protection zone."
Part of Ćehotina is also a Nature Park and a nominated EMERALD area and a potential Natura 2000 protected area.
The Strategic Impact Assessment Report also proposes this part of the river downstream of the Ćehotina River to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina (confluence with the Drina River) for protection.
"Water quality is significantly endangered, as rivers such as the Ćehotina, Lim and Ibar suffer the consequences of industrial wastewater discharges. The Ćehotina River is particularly affected by industrial pollution," the report states.
It is also noted that the exploitation of coal in the Neogene basins of Pljevlja and the existing technology of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant (TPP) with accompanying facilities (the Maljevac ash and slag landfill) has seriously impaired the quality of the surface watercourses of the Ćehotina and Vezišnica rivers.
The report "State of Water Quality in Montenegro for 2022" highlights that out of five locations examined on the Ćehotina River, four were not good, or had moderate status - Glava Ćehotine, Rabitlja, below Kolektor and Gradac.
Specific pollutants were found in the water of Ćehotina. Of the synthetic substances, fluorides and phenol were found. Of the non-synthetic substances, arsenic, copper, zinc, and molybdenum and their compounds were detected.
The report also points out that the new well located in Pljevlja, next to Ćehotina, belongs to the GVTPV Pljevlja Basin, and that at that location "the water showed poor quality status."
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management recently pointed out that in the last ten years there have been no fish in this part of the Ćehotina River, due to frequent washing out from the Gradira tailings pond.
The Ćehotina River is hit by various types of pollution every few years, but no one has ever been held criminally responsible for it.
Criminal proceedings were conducted against the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant and the Electric Power Company (EPCG) for a fish kill in 2019. However, it ended with the prosecutor dropping the charges. EPCG paid compensation of just over 300.000 euros for causing a fish kill by discharging wastewater from the Maljevac landfill into the Vezišnica, a tributary of the Ćehotina River.
CETI has been warning for years that the water is polluted.
The latest CETI report from July this year, when samples were taken from three locations, showed the highest pollution, many times higher than permitted, at the mouth of the Badanj spring. Slightly lower, but still unacceptable amounts downstream of the Badanj mouth, in Tatarovina. Only at the third location, in Jelica, was the water within the permitted values.
"The results obtained clearly indicate the degradation of the surface water quality of the Ćehotina River in the area of the Badanj spring confluence, where the presence of multiple elevated concentrations of heavy metals (lead, zinc), dissolved salts and suspended particles was registered," states the latest opinion of CETI.
CETI, through free access to information, sent CIN-CG all of Ćehotina's investigations from the last six years, claiming that data from before 2020 had been destroyed, in accordance with the Archival Activities Act.
It is interesting that all the tests since 2020 have been requested from CETI by Gradir Montenegro, the company within which the mine operates, and not by any state or local institution.
In its opinion from October 2020, CETI concluded that the physicochemical analysis of a surface water sample from the Mjednički stream after the flotation operation did not correspond to any class of the Regulation on the Classification and Categorization of Surface and Groundwater.
"The PH value is below the limit interval, while the content of suspended particles of nitrite, dissolved iron, manganese, zinc, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, total chromium, lead, selenium, cyanide, sulfate, as well as turbidity and electrical conductivity values are above the standard limits," CETI's opinion states.
In February 2021, it was reported that the flotation plant had led to a deterioration in the water quality in the stream - it had become more acidic and more polluted with inorganic substances.
"By comparing the results of the analysis of samples of the Mjednički stream before and after the flotation operation, it can be seen that there is a drop in the PH value from 4,4 to 3,7 and a significant increase in the concentration of all tested inorganic parameters," the opinion from February 2021 states.
In August of the same year, it was reported that, by comparing the results of the analysis of samples of the Mjednički stream before and after flotation, the difference in the acidity of the river and the presence of heavy metals was smaller than in previous tests, but most of the tested inorganic parameters (heavy metals) were still higher in the sample after flotation.
In April and November 2022, the values of most inorganic parameters were also higher in the sample after flotation, with the exception that in the tests that year, the acidity of the stream upstream of the flotation plant was 5,6, which is the highest measured PH value of the watercourse in previous measurements.
A similar situation occurred in April 2023, with the river still more polluted after the ore flotation, and now downstream of the flotation plant, the river's acidity was higher than previous measurements. In December of that year, it was again determined that the values of the measured parameters were higher after flotation, but for the first time, the PH value (water acidity) downstream was within the permitted intervals.
A few months before the latest pollution of the Ćehotina, measurements were also taken with the same results of the presence of unacceptable amounts of metals in the river.
"The tested sample of surface water from the Mjednički stream after the flotation operation did not comply with the requirements of the Regulation on the method and deadlines for determining the status of surface waters, due to increased content of cadmium, lead, nickel, ammonia, suspended substances, copper, zinc and cobalt, increased electrical conductivity values, as well as reduced PH values," the opinion from May this year reads.
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