A protest against geological research in the area of the municipality of Šipovo will be held in Volari on Sunday, March 10, starting at 12:00 p.m., and will be organized by Cuvar Pliva and Janja.
“We have announced a protest and I invite everyone to calmly and dignifiedly express our opposition to lithium mining in our region. The reason for organizing the protest is simple – in Volari and its surroundings there are one million tons of explored gypsum ore – alabaster, which is ecologically clean and acceptable, even suitable for use. However, the authorities at the state and local levels closed down that same gypsum factory and put it into bankruptcy. Now they want to exploit lithium, while tons of already explored gypsum ores sit unused. It should be remembered that this factory was the main engine of economic development before war in the municipality of Šipovo and employed several hundred workers,” said Milan Plavšić, president of the Municipal Board of the Šipovo People’s Front.
He added that he is against geological research in the area of this municipality, reports the Jajce Online portal.
“Explorations in the area of Jezero municipality, specifically in the research area ‘Sinjakovo’, which includes the municipalities of Mrkonjić Grad, Šipovo and Jezero, are currently being carried out by the company Lykos Balkan Metals, i.e. SNK Metali d.o.o. from Bijeljina with the approval of the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska for geochemical, geophysical and geological research of lead, zinc, copper, barite and related metals in the research area ‘Jezero’. If lithium exploitation takes place in these areas, it will mean the end of the existence of our people in these areas,” said Plavšić.
He emphasized that the aforementioned research poses a great danger to nature, flora, fauna, population and livestock, as well as everything in the immediate vicinity of potential exploitation.
“In the town of Mrkonjić, we already have a problem with coal mining, where the river Medljanka, which flows into the river Sana, has been polluted, so the situation in the basin of this river is alarming. On this occasion, I invite good and morally sound people to join us on Sunday as we would jointly defend our hearths, mountains, forests and rivers. If Šipovo and the Pliva river are polluted, it will bring with it the pollution of many municipalities through which this river passes,” said Plavšić.
