The ecological society "Breznica" is demanding the immediate release of the residents of Pljevlja from paying for electricity during periods when the permitted concentrations of harmful pollutants are exceeded, so that citizens turn to electric heating and give up burning coal and wood.
They warn that the city no longer has time to wait and that it is a matter of the lives and health of citizens.
For several days now, Pljevlja has been shrouded in fog 24 hours a day, and the levels of harmful substances in the air have exceeded the permitted limits several times.
"Data from the measuring station in Gagovića's estate, for years, indicate drastic and multiple exceedances of the limit values for PM 10 and PM 2,5 particles, along with frequent and long-term exceedances of concentrations of sulfur dioxide, benzo(a)pyrene, nitrogen oxides and other toxic pollutants, which often last for days, weeks, and even months without interruption," said Milorad Mitrović, executive director of the Ecological Society "Breznica", in a statement.
Mitrović says that Pljevlja is "the last European colony", and that they are in one of the most severe ecological, health and socio-economic crises in their long history.
"Long-term, systemic and continuous air pollution, devastation and exploitation of natural and mineral resources, as well as colonial relations and exploitation according to the principles of the poorest countries in Africa or South America, have led to alarming mortality, a worrying level of population suffering from the most serious diseases, mass displacement and deep poverty," said Mitrović.
He reminds us that the city, which has been filling the Montenegrin budget with around two and a half million euros a day for decades, has been brought to a complete ecological and economic collapse, while its citizens are paying the highest possible price, with their health and lives.
"According to available research and health statistics, every third resident of Pljevlja has a serious health problem, most often related to respiratory, cardiovascular and malignant diseases, which exceeds all epidemiological averages and clearly indicates a direct connection between air quality and the health of the population. Despite numerous promises, none of them have been substantially fulfilled. Particular bitterness is caused by the fact that the people of Pljevlja are today strongly represented in the government system with five members of the Government, eight MPs and around 200 employees in state institutions, but few of them consistently fight for the interests of their city. As soon as they got their hands on Podgorica's asphalt, they immediately forgot Pljevlja and the suffering of their former fellow citizens, which is why the phenomenon of the 'Pljevlja' Podgorica residents" has become a symbol of political oblivion and alienation," said Mitrović.
Air pollution in Pljevlja, Mitrović added in the statement, comes from the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, the city heating plant, individual coal and wood-burning furnaces, as well as traffic.
"Their combined effect produces large amounts of PM 10 and PM 2,5 particles that easily enter the body, while high concentrations of sulfur dioxide pose a special and extremely serious health risk, especially during the winter months," said Mitrović.
He also reminds in the statement that the effects of the recently completed ecological reconstruction of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant have not yielded any measurable results in improving air quality, which is why free or heavily subsidized electricity is proposed as an urgent measure, so that citizens turn to electric heating and give up burning coal and wood.
Due to all of the above, the Ecological Society "Breznica" announces the launch of an initiative to adopt a regulation exempting the residents of Pljevlja from paying for electricity during periods when permitted concentrations of pollutants are exceeded, until the problem of air quality is completely and permanently resolved.
"Pljevlja no longer has time to wait. This is a matter of life, health and basic justice that the citizens of this city have been waiting for for too long," said Mitrović.
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