Almost two years of ore exploitation for the locals of Medna near Mrkonjić Grad turned into a nightmare. The smaller streams that flow into Sana are polluted with heavy metals, and the inspection does not react
Locals of the village of Medna, near the town of Mrkonjić, have been fighting for two years with the investor who received permission to open a mine in early 2021. All competent ministries gave the green light, as well as the municipality of Mrkonjić Grad, but after almost two years the situation is catastrophic.
“Everything was destroyed. The residents of this village are suffering. The water is polluted, this is really pathetic and sad what they are doing. And this cattle that we have a couple of houses, we have nowhere to feed them… Misery and misery. You must not take the cow out. It’s pitiful and regrettable,” Radmila Klepić, a resident of Medna, told DW , calling, as she says, any government to help them, because if this continues, no one will be left in the village.
The entire Sana basin is at risk
DW wrote about this problem as early as last year, when the first results arrived about polluted watercourses in which heavy metals were hundreds of times more than the allowed amount. Also, DW wrote about the connection between companies and the authorities in Republika Srpska about political “orders” to deliver as much coal as possible to Serbia, without setting any conditions.
However, now the situation has become dangerous for the health of the population not only in Medna but also along the entire Sana basin through Ribnik, Ključ and Sanski Most.
A year ago, the results of the sampled water in the Grabovac stream, which springs from the mine and flows into the Medljanka, and then further into the Sana river, showed high levels of heavy metals. At that time, the tests were carried out by order of environmental associations, because the inspection was done only by “inspection”, and not by taking a sample, and determined that there was no pollution. The presence of heavy metals is still high.
“Last year, we carried out water sampling and determined the presence of tailings and heavy metals, and the categorization of the water was five. Therefore, according to those parameters, that water stream belongs to waste water. We did a new sampling 15 days ago and we got worse data, especially in the Sana River where an insufficient amount of oxygen was found,” says Vladimir Topić from the Center for the Environment, noting that this is disastrous for the complete flora and fauna in the entire basin.
And in the basin there are Ribnik, Ključ, Sanski Most, from where they have been warning for months about the change in the color of the river that used to be drinkable. They asked the inspectorate of Republika Srpska for information on the degree of pollution, but they have not yet received it, even though the samples were taken back in January.
Anyone in the country?
“It was gray, yellow, red, vague. It passes, then again. All because of the Medna mine. There were also several pieces of dead fish”, says Dragan Gajić from Ribnik as he points to the Sana River, where sports fishing competitions are held with participants from all over the world.
“Is there anyone in the state who can regulate it. Do you know what that wealth is? I drank it 30 years ago. And when they come from the side, I tell them don’t accidentally drink,” says Gajić, outraged that no one reacts.
Individuals are reacting, such as Sergej Milanović, an independent councilor in the Mrkonjić City Assembly, who says that there is a lack of power on the scene, which citizens must not react to due to personal safety. He says that the authorities from the municipality and investors are not willing to sit down and try to restore the water quality in this area.
“Given that those in the municipality give consent and advocate mining, now let them take responsibility for what is happening in Medna. We received our water analysis. The mine is working, the machines are there, there is nothing abstract here, the investigation is very simple. It is necessary to file criminal charges against the persons responsible for endangering the health of the population,” says Milanović, claiming that the government is in connection with organized crime, and that the mine is run by those who are suspicious from the security point of view.
The inspection is silent
The surface of the mine was expanded three times in one year
“There is a lot of talk about who runs the mine, that it is owned by someone from Serbia. It is true that the ore is going to Serbia, and that the trucks are carrying 30 tons more than the permitted load, which could not happen if everything was legal,” says Milanović, also citing the ignoring of the Republika Srpska Inspectorate as an argument.
And in the RS Inspectorate there is silence. Although samples have been taken, there is still no answer to the question of the degree of pollution and whether the mine should be closed based on that, as it was closed two years ago due to an omission because it was working without a permit. In the response from the Inspectorate that DW received last year, it was stated that the Medna brown coal mine was subject to the control of the mining, environmental, water and traffic inspection, that the environmental inspection then temporarily closed the mine for several months because it did not have a concession at that time.
“Regarding water pollution, the inspection found ‘no turbidity.’ Streams are not included in the decree on categorization, so no samples were taken,” the Inspectorate told DW at the time. DW journalists requested an answer now, but they did not receive it.
However, according to the Regulation in Article 29, all tributaries, which are not covered by the categorization according to Article no. 27 and table 7, are classified in the first category whose waters should have a high quality status. Also, the inspector did not state at the time that streams are not covered by the Regulation, but stated that there is no water pollution.
“All within the law”
From the company “Medna NV”, they said that they do everything according to the law, and this is also what the relevant ministries that issued work permits say. They are now shifting all responsibility to the inspection, from which they are silent. A year ago, in the midst of the biggest works, when tests also showed a high level of pollution, the company Drvo – Export from Teslić, which buys coal and Medna and which carries out work for their needs, told DW that everything was done in accordance with the law .
“Even a number of locals received compensation even though there was no legal obligation to treat their plots, but this was done to ensure a better atmosphere and cooperation with the local community, which was achieved.” Those remarks are flat-out and basically unjustified, which was also established by the competent authorities”, they told us in this company, rejecting the allegations of non-governmental organizations about pollution.
For the population fifty kilometers away in the entire basin of the Sana River, in Ribnik, Ključ, Sanski Most, the situation is said to be equal to ecocide. If the exploitation continues in this way, they do not rule out the possibility of protests. Neđo Stanišić from the Association of Sports Anglers “Ribnik” sees the problem in non-compliance with the environmental permit that the mine has, because the biodiversity in this area is being destroyed.
If it continues…
“We feel a lower response from people than last year. They are afraid. We reported it to the inspectorate, but we haven’t received an answer yet. We know they took the field. Why won’t anyone lay pipes and run those streams? It’s nothing to the investor, and they would have finished the whole job,” says Neđo, stating that there are undeniably fewer fish in Sana since the mine started operating. Momčilo Todorović agrees with him, who warns of possible consequences while fishing.
“There are trout, grayling, bream and chub here. If it could be banned… the river was muddy for a month. If this were to continue, I am afraid that the fish would be destroyed”, says Todorović.
The Ministry of Energy and Mining of the RS concluded a concession agreement on the Medna site with the legal entity Medna NV from Mrkonjić Grad back in 2018. Two years later, the research phase was completed, and after obtaining all opinions, the process of awarding the concession began, after which the Commission for Concessions gave a positive opinion.
After that, the competent ministry approved the execution of mining works as well as the decision on the use of the mining facility in this locality. The RS Ministry of Ecology also issued an environmental permit, which is controversial for representatives of ecological associations and local residents, but they are now leaving the whole matter to the RS Inspectorate, from which they do not respond to press inquiries or requests from local residents.
Source: fokus.ba
