Enormous air pollution was recorded in Pljevlja on Wednesday, accompanied by drastic exceedances of PM particle and sulfur dioxide concentrations, announced the non-governmental organization (NGO) Breznica, adding that there was no reaction from the authorities.
Milorad Mitrović from that NGO said that yesterday's enormous air pollution in Pljevlja represents yet another piece of evidence of the systematic, organized and conscious poisoning of the citizens of that city.
According to him, this is no longer an incident, but a continuation of the crimes that have been committed against the citizens of Pljevlja for years.
"Gentlemen in power and all of you who have brought the citizens of Pljevlja to this state and hopeless situation, you who made decisions, turned a blind eye, signed permits, extended illegal work and turned a blind eye to obvious data, be sure of one thing, justice will not pass you by, at some point you will be held accountable for all the robberies, frauds, poisoning and killings of citizens and the misdeeds that you have committed years ago and which you continue to commit to the detriment of the health of citizens," Mitrović stated.
He said that "the political, moral and criminal bill will be paid."
"I don't know what other word I would use for you, but I say "shame on you". Do not have or harbor the illusion that you will not be held accountable and bear the consequences for everything you have done, as well as for all the deceptions and disappointed hopes of the citizens of Pljevlja, which you sacrificed so that you could amass money in a frantic and unprecedented race for profit, without forgetting to fill your own pockets," Mitrović's statement reads.
Pljevlja, as he said, is today facing one of the most severe environmental and health disasters in its history.
"Decades of systematic and planned air pollution, brutal exploitation of natural and mineral resources, and a colonial attitude towards this city have led to alarming mortality, epidemics of respiratory, cardiovascular, and malignant diseases, and a mass exodus of the population," Mitrović added.
According to him, the city has been turned into a profit-making sacrificial zone.
"Pljevlja has been filling the Montenegrin budget with millions of euros for decades, while citizens have been reduced to statistics of the sick and the dead. The health and lives of Pljevlja residents have become acceptable collateral damage in the race for profit, privileges and filling private pockets," said Mitrović.
As he stated, data from the measuring station on the Gagović estate has clearly shown multiple exceedances of the permitted values for PM particles and sulfur dioxide for years, often lasting for several days and weeks without interruption.
"Yesterday's values represent an alarm of the highest level, but the reaction of the authorities, as countless times before, was absent. The silence of institutions in such circumstances is not incompetence, but complicity," said Mitrović.
He stated that, according to health statistics, every third resident of Pljevlja has a serious health problem, predominantly related to air pollution.
"These data leave no room for relativization: there is a direct connection between air quality and the incidence of disease in the population. Everything else is lies and deception," said Mitrović.
According to him, it is a particular shame that Pljevlja today has a significant number of representatives in the Government and Parliament of Montenegro.
"However, instead of fighting for our city, we are witnessing complete oblivion and political alienation. The moment they stepped onto Podgorica's asphalt, Pljevlja ceased to exist for many," said Mitrović.
This cynicism, he added, is something citizens remember and will not forgive.
"The recent illegally extended operation of the city boiler house on Skerlićeva Street, along with the unfinished and deficient reconstruction of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Plant, is a direct cause of extreme sulfur dioxide concentrations," said Mitrović.
He stated that in such conditions, this gas causes suffocation, acute exacerbations of asthma and chronic diseases, cardiac arrhythmias, and increased mortality.
"In combination with PM particles, NOₓ and benzo(a)pyrene, a toxic cocktail is created with cumulative and long-term lethal consequences," warned Mitrović.
He pointed out that this is no longer a question of ecology, but a question of bare survival.
As Mitrović said, every new day without urgent and radical measures means new patients, new hospitalizations, and new premature deaths.
"We are sending a clear message - we no longer agree to lies and promises," Mitrović said.
He said that each subsequent day of pollution will be recorded, "named and linked to responsible individuals and institutions."
"The time of political amnesia is over, because we will soon invite interested citizens of Pljevlja to join the initiation of a collective lawsuit against the state for gross violation of the Constitution, poisoning and murder of citizens of Pljevlja," said Mitrović.
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