Today marks the commencement of project aimed at rehabilitation of “Stolice” antimony mine tailings pond in Krupanj. Investment value of urgent works is EUR2 million allocated from the EU Solidarity Fund and will cover protection of tailings pond from surface water, rehabilitation and stabilisation of the existing landfill and clean up and regulation of the most affected part of Kostajnicka River.
Director of Office for Management of Public Investment Marko Blagojevic said it took a year to prepare the project aimed at rehabilitation after nearly 50 years since the first spillage of tailings pond.
“It was worth investing time and money to protect the lives of 15 000 people who have for decades been exposed to toxic material from the tailings pond and health of the population living in municipalities downstream of the mine. The works, worth RSD219 million, will be funded through EU donation. This is another example of EU’s generosity thanks to which we have done so much in the aftermath of floods,” Blagojevic said.
Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Oskar Benedikt said the EU supported the efforts to tackle this ecological issue, contamination of rivers and soil.
“Serbian Government should identify all similar hot spots in Serbia given the importance the EU attaches to this issue within the accession process. We have so far allocated EUR9.6 million for flood relief in Krupanj which included construction and reconstruction of houses, support for farmers and road reconstruction,” Benedikt said.
Project design, worth USD204 300, has been drafted thanks to the donation of Japanese Government, channelled through the UNDP.
“The UNDP has been present in Serbia for 50 year and actively providing support to Serbian Government and its citizens in various emergencies. Following the disastrous 2014 floods, the UNDP has been engaged in both mitigating the effects of floods and better planning and increased resilience in future, thus helping the citizens in 46 towns and municipalities across Serbia,“ said Irena Vojačkova Solorano, UNDP Permanent Representative in Serbia.
The decades long issue of “Stolice” mine tailings pond escalated in May 2014 when its stability was endangered by heavy rain, causing the spillage of toxic material into Kostajnicka River. Subsequent ecological research showed that the levels of hazardous substances along 27 km of riverbeds of Kostajnicka, Korenita and Jadran rivers were above the permitted values, thus requiring clean up of terrain and removal of tailings pond sludge. Also, considerable area of flooded agricultural land (some 360 ha) has been contaminated and is due for soil remediation.
