One of the 10 most toxic sites in the world

The public debate on the Draft Detailed Spatial Plan for the area of the concession area for the exploitation of mineral raw materials and the Draft Report on the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment is ongoing and will last until July 3rd. In the premises of the Municipality of Mojkovac, on May 9th, citizens had the opportunity to clearly point out the irregularities of the project and mostly expressed their displeasure at the possibility of Mojkovac becoming a mining town again.
The citizens’ initiative “Zdravi Mojkovac” warns that the opening of Brskovo would seriously damage the environment and endanger the health of citizens.
According to them, the DPP Brskovo contains serious shortcomings, which was also pointed out at the public hearing, because, among other things, it does not explain the possibility of water, air, soil pollution (to what distance increased heavy metal pollution can occur, how much pollution can be greater than permitted values, how it can affect people’s health, economic activities, etc.).
It is not clear what the consequences may be for the water quality of the Tara River, as a protected natural area (a threat to its UNESCO status), as well as the consequences for the national parks “Durmitor” and “Biogradska gora”.
It is not known, they say, the extent of the danger of the occurrence of acid rain and the impact on forest ecosystems in the near or far surroundings, because these are ores rich in sulphur. No threats related to the chemical and mineralogical composition of the ores in the concession area are clearly stated.
And it was not explained how the opening of the mine will affect agriculture, as well as the development of tourism, given that the construction of the Žarski ski center is underway.
Although, they say, a wastewater treatment plant is mentioned, the plan clearly leaves open the possibility of discharging all water into the river Rudnica, i.e. Tara, which could have a negative impact on the quality of its water downstream of Mojkovac.
“The planned Brskovo open pit, which is of course only briefly mentioned in the draft report, through an explanation of the impact of oxidation on water quality, i.e. water pollution, is extremely toxic with PH values of 2-3, which represents high acidity and thus ranks it as one of the 10 most toxic sites in the world. In the Brskovo DPP, there is no mention of what will be done with cinnabarite, that is, mercury, which is an integral part of all ore occurrences in this area”, according to the “Zdravi Mojkovac” Initiative.
They remind that in the 1990s, a health study was conducted which showed that the number of people suffering from lung and stomach cancer in Mojkovac, due to the presence of heavy metals in the air, soil and water carried by the winds from the former Brskovo open pit and tailings dump in the city center, was five times higher than the average in Montenegro.
“If we take into account that the wind brings sand and dust from the Sahara, how can we think that it will not carry dust, full of particles of heavy and carcinogenic metals, from surface mines not only down the Tara valley, but also to the surrounding towns – Bijelo Polje, Kolašin, Beran ? And not only the wind, what will we do with the occurrence of acid rain that occurs due to the reaction of sulfur with oxygen, just 5 km as the crow flies from Lake Biograd and the rainforest that surrounds it? What will we do with underground and surface waters that will be polluted by the oxidation process and the use of chemical means for ore purification (cyanide and toxic acids)? Not a single agricultural product from Mojkovac will be healthy”, according to the Initiative.
They also claim that the public is trying to spread the story that the citizen’s indignation is political.
“It is important that all citizens of Montenegro know that all these years, during the research, it was talked about how it will be the green technology of the last generation. Then on April 24th, the Brskovo DPP document was put before the public, which is anything but any kind of green technology, and only since then we can read in the documents approved by the Government of Montenegro at the investor’s proposal what is being planned and that this is an ecological crime against humanity. So, we only know what the plan is from April 24th. This is a story that transcends all political and national divisions and differences, this is an issue that concerns the future of us and the generations of our children to come”, said the Initiative.
They also turned to the Ministry of Capital Investments, asking to terminate the contract with the Swiss company, and as they claim, the conditions have been met to terminate the contract without any financial obligations.

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