The rehabilitation of red mud pools is not a topic for which there is room to dispose, announced today the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, Damjan Ćulafić.
The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development (MERS) announced that the Government, at the proposal of Ćulafić, has adopted a Decision on determining public interest for the implementation of the project "Waste Management Reform in Montenegro - Remediation of Red Mud Basin and Solid Waste Landfill at the Podgorica Aluminum Plant (KAP)".
"The estimated preliminary value of the works on the reconstruction of the red mud basin, according to the Main Project, is around 32 million euros, while the value of the rehabilitation of the solid waste landfill at the KAP location is 13 million euros," the statement states.
On this occasion, Ćulafić said that the adoption of this Decision is an important step towards the remediation of one of the largest environmental black spots in Montenegro and that the relevant ministry is thus once again demonstrating its continuous efforts to protect and improve the state of the environment.
"MERS has thus shown that the Conclusions, which the Government recently adopted, are not a dead letter on paper. They are not an offer, but the Government's commitment to resolve this and similar problems decisively and efficiently. We know how important the remediation of the red mud basin and the solid hazardous waste landfill is, both from the perspective of the people living in that area, and for our European path," Ćulafić emphasized.
The MERS statement says that Ćulafić pointed out "that the remediation of the red mud basin is not a topic for which there is space to dispose, and that the Ministry has used all mechanisms."
"In this way, we are sending a message that we are serious and that we have been systematically, for months, removing long-standing obstacles and finding a solution to what is certainly one of the biggest environmental challenges in the country," emphasized Ćulafić.
The MERS statement says that Ćulafić "thanked international partners - the World Bank, with whom MERS continuously and intensively cooperates."
"As before, and in the future, we will continue to perform our work thoroughly, responsibly and in the general interest, with a special focus on the health of citizens and environmental protection," concluded Ćulafić.
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