Activists do not want the Rio Tinto mine in Serbia

As they stated during the presentation of the project from the Rio Sava Exploration Company, they are currently working on the preparation of technical documentation, land acquisition, preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Study and obtaining permits for the construction of an underground mine for Jadarite exploitation near Loznica.

The impact on the environment is the topic of many public debates. Numerous activists oppose the construction of the mine and state that it will destroy this part of Serbia. That is exactly what was talked about on Nova S television.

When asked by the host if there would be a mine at all, Rio Tinto’s senior environmental advisor Margareta Milosavljevic said that she “hopes she will”, and Miroslav Mijatovic from the Podrinje anti-corruption team explicitly “will not”.

Mijatovic emphasized several times during the show that the whole process is non-transparent, that there are parts of the company’s studies that are obscured, and that even the names of professors from the Faculty of Mining who did their studies are hidden.

“We are not angry with Rio Tinto, they are behaving as the institutions allow,” Mijatovic emphasized.

Margareta Milosavljevic pointed out that Rio Tinto works in accordance with the law and transparently.

Mijatovic mentioned that it is crucial that there is no answer to the question of how the company will evacuate groundwater, in which there are elevated concentrations of sulfate, chloride…

“We will use that water in production,” said Milosavljevic, and Mijatovic countered by saying that it was a lie.

“How are you going to remove that arsenic?” They have no solution for that. What will be in that tailings… They are trying to move it 100 meters from the river Jadar because it is more profitable for them. And the other day we had floods there, “said Mijatovic.

When asked how they will solve the floods of Jadar river if they return the water to it, even if they purify it, Margareta Milosavljevic said that the company will make protection systems that will be approved by the competent institutions.

Source: bonitet.com

LATEST NEWS

• June 14, 2023 The Serbian Institute for Critical Materials launches a regional mining platform for knowledge exchange
• April 24, 2023 Without sustainable mining, there is no renewable future
• March 25, 2023 Europe revives mining to reduce dependence on the import of key raw materials
• March 8, 2023 Calcium Carbonate Industry, Reshaping the Market Growth, Serbian supplier to match European industrial demand
• August 13, 2023 Environment South East Europe Watch temporarily suspends the activity
• August 9, 2023 Regional Coalition Aims to Protect Up to 400 Kilometres of Rivers Across Southeast Europe
• August 9, 2023 Meeting Serbia’s Energy Needs: A Smart Siting Map for Solar Power