For 30 years, an illegal landfill in the municipality of Kiseljak in central Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has been operating without a permit. Forest land, which is public property and thus state-owned by BiH, is being used to dispose of hazardous substances, animal, construction, and medical waste.
The lack of a permit came to light recently after the Ministry of Spatial Planning of the Central Bosnia Canton (CBC) responded to a question from Slaven Raguz, a representative in the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), confirming that the landfill is illegal and lacks the necessary permits.
Given that the landfill is located on forest land, according to a decision by the Constitutional Court of BiH, it constitutes state property that should be under the exclusive jurisdiction of BiH.
What did the inspection reveal?
The Berberusa landfill does not possess the required permits for operation, neither environmental nor waste management permits, as stated in the inspection report by environmental protection inspectors of the CBC.
The report, which was sent as a response to representative Slaven Raguz, indicates that waste storage is being conducted inefficiently.
The Ministry of Environment and Tourism of the FBiH stated that the landfill represents a “major environmental challenge for both Kiseljak and the neighboring municipality of Kresevo.”
Other issues with the landfill
Apart from lacking operational permits, the landfill has been “burning” continuously for the past four years, according to the mayor of the municipality of Kiseljak, Mladen Ramljak, which resulted in 40 interventions last year.
“The fire at the landfill is not ignited by the local community, but by irresponsible individuals, and that’s why we have introduced misdemeanor reports,” Ramljak notes, Slobodna Evropa writes.
E.Dz.
