Montenegro

Remediation of the Lead and Zinc Mine Tailings Pond in Mojkovac continues

According to the plan, the second phase of the Mojkovac tailings pond remediation will be completed within 13 months, and the entire remediation project will be finished by the end of 2010.

 

Mr. Žarko Živković, Public Works Agency Manager announced the approaching end of the first phase. The overall value of the remediation is around 10,7 million euros, and by September this year around 3,7 million were invested. The largest portion of that money was provided by the Government of Montenegro. During the first phase the project documentation was completed as well as a collector for protection of the pond, and reconstruction and upgrading of sewage system and an apparatus for purifying waste waters were done. „I am also using this occasion to express our gratitude to the Government of the Czech Republic who, through donations, realized activities the value of which amounts to cca 905.000 euros,“ said Mr. Živković. „During the past year, together with our partner UNDP which provided 250.000 euros, we managed to finalize the work on installing of cleaning devises. As for the second phase which will be divided into two sub-phases, it was estimated that the total cost will amount to 6.950.000 euros. Currently we are arranging activities on solidification of ooze materials from the pond; forming of an impenetrable membrane; construction of a drainage system and a body of vegetation layer and a plateau, as well as terrain cultivation. That process will take place in the course of upcoming 13 months. „One of the greatest environmental problems in Montenegro will be solved by remediation of the pond. Mojkovac will thus become the first town in Montenegro where the issue of waste waters is completely solved,“ Mr. Živković concluded.

For the realization of the second phase this year 1,9 million euros have been provided – one million from the capital budget and 950.000 euros through the UNDP Montenegro.

Mr. Tomáš Hájek, Director of the Vodni Zdroje expressed satisfaction with the fact that his company would take part in the works which are so important to Montenegro and to Mojkovac. “I hope the cooperation with the Government of Montenegro, the Public Works Agency, the Municipality and the citizens of Mojkovac as well as with the UNDP will be successful, and I hope it will mark the beginning of a long-term collaboration in Montenegro,” Mr. Hájek said.

Minister of Tourism and Environmental Protection H.E. Mr. Predrag Nenezić reminded that a few years back the Government decided to remediate one of the most important environmental hot spots in Montenegro in the shortest possible time. „This is a very demanding project which requires time and expertise and substantial financial funds, and by the end of next year the Government of Montenegro will invest nearly 5 million euros in realization of this project, while the UNDP has so far financed it with 1,2 million, and the Czech Government with around 1 million euros. By remediation of the tailings pond Mojkovac will obtain attractive space for new sports, recreational and tourism activities,“ Minister Nenezić said.

Mr. Alexander Avanesov, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro said the tailings pond was the main barrier to foreign investments and to economic development of Mojkovac. “Once a great hope for prosperity of the municipality the ‘Brskovo’ mine has turned into a source of pollution, potential ecological disaster from spillage into a World Heritage Site of river Tara and a main barrier to investment in Mojkovac,“ Mr. Avanesov emphasized.

Mr. Avanesov also said that within this project the UNDP began a comprehensive area based development in order to provide a variety of alternative development routes that would utilize the overwhelming comparative advantage of the whole northern region, Mojkovac included, its biodiversity, eco system, and nature in order to create wealth. “Our opinion is that the most effective thing that we can do is to provide the municipality with the tools to utilize an incredible privilege it has in terms of the natural resources and potentials to create wealth. In order to strengthen the capacity to develop and implement local environmental policies and investment projects we are putting on its feet four different sets of activities that complete a circle of sustainable development in the municipality: (i) Nature based tourism: development of Mojkovac as a destination for hiking, biking, kayaking, orienteering. This work includes both on the field practical training as well as policy work on the enabling legislation and creating investment opportunities. Stakeholders: Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection, Municipality of Mojkovac, Local Tourism Organization, National Tourism Organization, Rafting and Kayak clubs, Mountaineer clubs, Biking clubs; (ii) Integration of sustainability principles in spatial planning. The UNDP is assisting the municipality to use the spatial planning process in order to attract foreign investment and set the municipality on the path of sustainable development. In addition, through this aspect we will be training staff from both national and local level on environmental management policy- SEA and EIA; (iii) Development of organic agriculture. Stakeholders: Municipality of Mojkovac, Local farmers, Local NGOs, Private business; (iv) Treatment of the Lead and Zinc Mine as a cradle-to-cradle product: based on the comparative cases from Slovenia, New Zealand, and Australia, assistance to the Municipality in devising alternate use for the closed mine that would support its way toward development as a destination for special interest and nature-based tourism, such as: a) museum; b) underground mountain biking hub of trails,” Mr. Avanesov concluded.

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UNDP Country Office Montenegro is coordinating the implementation of the $15 million Dutch funded Western Balkans Regional Environmental Hot Spots Programme that includes nine locations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia FYR, Montenegro, Serbia and UN Administered Province of Kosovo. 

The goal of this programme is to achieve improvement of environmental situation and quality of life for citizens living around highly polluted areas through remediation of industrial hot spots, least cost measures, improved local and national policy dialogue and supply of domestic professional services in the environmental management sector.

Specifically in Montenegro, the WB Regional Environmental Programme is focused on Mojkovac- its economic development and removal of the key barrier to foreign investment, a tailing mine impoundment of the Lead and Zinc mine ‘Brskovo.’  Funds provided by the Government of the Netherlands and implemented thru UNDP and joint efforts of partners involved in process of remediation: Government of Montenegro, Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection, Agency for Public Works, Czech Republic, will allow erasing of the long standing hurdle to foreign direct investment - Lead and Zinc Mine TMI -and the growth of the municipality.