The Mountaineering-Ecological Association Stozer, the civic initiative “Youth for Kupres” and numerous residents of this mountain town, with the “Peaceful protest walk for Plazenica,” once again showed that they oppose the planned construction of a plant by the company BH Magnezij & Minerali d.o.o. They emphasize that this “project of the century” could lead to multiple pollution of soil, air, and water, not only on the Kupres Plateau and bordering municipalities but also in the Adriatic water basin.
Ecological danger
While some see progress and jobs for several hundred workers in the project of mining and processing dolomite into magnesium, the protesters and petition signatories see an ecological danger in that chemical factory. They are not against economic development, but they say it must not be in contradiction with the preservation of natural resources.
“We believe that some things cannot be corrected if they are already done, and we believe that mining and the construction of some new plants must be approached more conscientiously, because that is damage that could remain with us for two, three and more generations – not only for the people of Kupres but for everyone downstream from Kupres,” notes Nikola Lovric, member of the initiative Youth for Kupres.
Stozer’s Hrvoje Cosic adds that this also concerns the basins of Vrbas, Pliva, Sturba, Bustrica, Sujica up to Trebizat, Cetina: “Our strategy is tourism, agriculture, livestock farming – and that is what is in harmony with this landscape, which is a divine Eden garden, and let it remain so.”
“And this is one of the ways to show dissatisfaction with the passivity of institutions that do not check such things. And another thing is the arrogant behavior of foreign investors in our local communities,” warns Mijo Dumancic, president of the Mountaineering-Ecological Association Stozer.
Annual concession fee for dolomite exploitation is 1.300 BAM
This was also seen in the devastated Plazenica area, and the annual concession fee of 1.300 BAM for dolomite exploitation is more than miserable.
“They are not taxpayers in Kupres. If they mean well for these people, let them start paying taxes and doing business according to all possible provisions of the Accounting Law and all others that relate to normal civilized business,” says Marko Batinic, economist and participant of the march.
Earlier, a petition with 4.308 signatures was submitted to the Municipal Council, requesting, along with the adoption of a conclusion opposing the construction of the magnesium factory, also the termination of the concession contract for the Grguljaca quarry.
“The Municipal Council issued an order to the mayor to conduct an independent study so that councilors could get information first-hand from expert people,” says Kupres mayor Danko Juric (HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)).
“They came here to experiment.”
The environmental impact study, in cooperation with six university professors, was analyzed by the prominent geographer and hydrologist Prof. Dr. Muriz Spahic, who concluded that it is deficient and non-transparent, and the production process is unverified.
“The academics do not understand why this is being done in Kupres when most magnesium is obtained from seawater. They came here, in my opinion, to experiment because that technology has not yet come to life anywhere, nor has that process been carried out anywhere. The citizens of Kupres are rightly concerned, as am I,” reveals Juric.
They declare that they do not want to be an experimental testing ground for any company, whether from BiH, Germany, or any other country.
