Enver Hasanbasic initiated the first civil lawsuit for air pollution in Zenica. And lost. While legislation and the fight for the environment are in their infancy in Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH), on the global level the right to clean air, water, and soil is declared an elementary human right.
After the pension earned in France, Enver bought a house and land in the Tetovo settlement of Zenica.
“At the time when I bought the house, the factory was not working and it was a very pleasant place to live. When Mittal arrived, it was hell because the pollution was huge, as well as the stench, the dust, the dirt, and especially the noise.
Enver documented all this and sued Arcelor Mittal for the destruction of the seedlings and the mental pain caused.
Six years later, it was legally established that he failed to prove the damage caused and the pain suffered.
Close to 3.300 people die prematurely each year due to exposure to fine particles. BiH produces more than 60 percent of its energy using coal, the dirtiest resource, Slobodna Evropa reports.
