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SEE ENVIRONMENT WATCH Information for journalists interested in the Environment of South Eastern Europe October 16, 2002 * Volume 1, Number 1 |
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* * * INTRODUCING SEE ENVIRONMENT WATCH This is the inaugural publication of SEE Environment Watch, a new e-mail newsletter designed to keep journalists informed about interesting environmental stories developing in South Eastern Europe (SEE). SEE Environment Watch is to be published twice a month and will contain news and information about major environmental issues from in the region that are of interest to journalists. SEE Environment Watch will be distributed electronically to all interested journalists from the SEE region and outside of it. SEE Environment Watch is published by the Regional Environmental Press Center, a network of media resource points in the SEE region with the goal of encouraging more and better press coverage of environmental issues. The Regional Environmental Press Center aims to empower environmental journalists in SEE by providing them with information and networking services. The SEE Environment Watch newsletter is one of the services of the Regional Environmental Press Center, available by e-mail and on-line at www.repc.net. Individual journalist's queries should be sent by e-mail to ecopress@ecopresscenter.org. The Regional Environmental Press Center is funded by the Government of the Netherlands as part of the Regional Environmental Reconstruction Programme of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. The project is being administered by the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe and the Environmental Press Center in Skopje, FYR Macedonia. * * * BELGRADE TO SHIP DANGEROUS PCBs TO GERMANY BELGRADE, Oct. 2 - A cistern containing 30 tonnes of the banned carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) will be exported from its site near the bank of the Sava River to Germany in about a week, according to Serbian Environment Minister Andjelka Mihajlov. The plan to export 30 tonnes of transformer-oil PCBs from the "Minel-Dinamo" factory was reportedly initiated by the Serbian Environment Ministry in cooperation with the special United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)-UNOPS project. Since 1995, the cistern has been moved to several locations around the Yugoslav capital, to prevent the risk of leaks. Mihajlov said the ministry has completed the complicated administrative procedure required to export the PCBs, which have been banned in most parts of the world for years. Croatia reportedly demanded financial guarantees to ensure that the PCBs would pass through its territory and not stay on Croatian soil. Serbia's relatively new Environment Ministry has begun a campaign of PCB exportation from Yugoslavia, within the framework of the Stockholm Convention, signed last May, which calls for obligatory elimination of all PCBs by 2015. The problem of PCBs was not addressed by the previous government, so there is no precise count of the amount of PCBs remaining in Serbia. According to Serbia's environment ministry, there are about 500 tonnes of PCBs in the form of waste and some 150 tonnes of it in transformers of Elektroprivreda Srbije - the only electricity producer in the republic. Earlier this year, 31 tonnes of PCBs were exported from the NIS oil refinery in Novi Sad to Germany, and Switzerland received 250 tonnes of that material from the "Zastava automobili" car manufacturer in Kragujevac, central Serbia. In a similar project, nine tonnes of PCBs should soon be exported from the Petrohemija oil refinery in Pancevo, according to the ministry. Along with working to export PCBs, the Serbian Environment Ministry, which is about one year old, has also developed new regulations to keep dangerous substances out of the country by banning the import of dirty technologies via foreign investments. The ministry has also created a toxicological mobile unit that can react properly in case of a chemical accident. --The Ekoforum, ekoforum@eunet.yu FYR MACEDONIA OPENS USD 12.5M PROJECT TO PUMP NEW LIFE INTO LAKE SKOPJE, Oct. 7 - The FYR Macedonian government announced that it has begun a USD 12.5 million project to save one of the most beautiful and oldest lakes in FYR Macedonia, Lake Djoran, which has slowly been disappearing due to pumping from neighbouring Greece. The project, entitled "Salvation of Dojran Lake" began on Sept. 8 and will be implemented with funds from the sale of FYR Macedonia's telecom company as well as from international funds, according to government sources. The project involves transporting water from 15 wells in the area of Gjavato Pole via a hydro-system that uses 20 kilometres of pipeline and three water basins. Another component of the project will also provide drinking water for nearby residents. Experts say this system will add water to the lake at a rate of approximately 1,000 litres per second, which is 10 times more than the current intake. At this rate, the lake is expected to be fully replenished in eight years. Without this intervention, the lake was expected to go dry within 15 years. Marjan Dodovski, the FYR Macedonian minister of environment and urban planning, said that Greece, which borders on Lake Dojran, shares FYR Macedonia's interest in preservation of the lake, and that that country had set aside EUR 4 million for that purpose. But pumping to remove water from the lake is apparently continuing on the Greek side, and, according to Dodovski, FYR Macedonia and Greece still need to sign an official agreement on protection of the lake. Dodovski said that a study has shown that construction of the pipeline has no effect on the Vardar River. He added that the same water pipeline system will be used for watering farmland in the Bogdansko Pole, Nikolic and Crnicko Pole regions. The system is not currently functioning, but officials said that, once release valves, shafts and a command centre have been installed, the pipeline from Gavato Pole to Lake Dojran will be opened. Architects from the Engineering Institute of FYR Macedonia have also completed work necessary to provide drinking water for the municipality of Star Dojran. According to Filip Doncevski, director of the Dojran Lake Hydro-system public enterprise, the well is ready to be connected to the water pipeline network. The project involved the four largest construction companies in FYR Macedonia, Beton, Pelagonija, Granit and Mavrovo, as well as the October 11 factory in Kumanovo, which produces pipes. --Environmental press center, ecopress@ecopresscenter.org BRIDGE TO BE KEY LINK IN ZAGREB'S PLANS TO TREAT WASTEWATER ZAGREB, Oct. 3 - Construction has begun on a Sava River bridge that will be an essential link in the Croatian capital's new wastewater treatment system, according to the Croatian Environmental Journalists Association. Along with carrying traffic, the bridge will also be used to carry wastewater from the right bank of the Sava to a purification plant, which is to be finished in 2005. The new wastewater treatment plant will use modern techniques and should remove 85-90 percent of harmful substances from Zagreb's wastewater, while producing about 63,000 cubic metres of mud every year. Development of the EUR 160-180 million wastewater system is being handled by a firm called Zagreb Wastewater, which is a partnership of the German WTE Wasserteknik, RWA Aqua from Essen and Zagrebacka vodoprivreda. The firm, which was chosen from among 17 bidders, is to receive a concession for 28 years. During the period of construction, residents of Zagreb will pay an average of EUR 6 more per month in sewage fees. When the wastewater purification plant is finished, the cost for using one cubic metre of water will rise from CKN 0.9 (EUR 0.12) to CKN 2.24 (EUR 0.3), according to the Croatian Environmental Journalists Association. Currently, Zagreb does not have wastewater treatment, but developing a system is one of the requirements Croatia must meet in order to achieve European Union accession and in order to comply with the Helsinki Convention for the Protection of the Danube River, an agreement to which Croatia is a signatory. Construction of the new Sava River bridge is projected to take two years and cost EUR 24 million, according to the Croatian Environmental Journalists Association. It is one of six facilities being constructed as part of the overall wastewater treatment system. In the past, objections have been raised to the high cost of the project, and some experts have called for using another means of paying, rather than a 28-year concession. There have been several round-table discussions about the question, but they were without concrete results, and the city government apparently has no intention of changing its plans for the project. --Zlatko Domljan, Croatian Environmental Journalists Association, domljan@vip.hr CROATIA OPENS EUROPE'S FIRST WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY NATURE PATH ZAGREB, Oct. 1 - Europe's first nature path for disabled persons, and the second such pathway anywhere in the world, has opened up in the Medvednica Nature Park on the edge of the Croatian capital. The path, which leads through a forest, was constructed by the nature park and funded by the park, Croatian forestry funds and the VIP telecommuncations firm, according to the Croatian Environmental Journalists Association. The path is specially designed so that disabled visitors can move easily and feel safe. The pathway is built from wood, with a fence on the both sides and a six-centimetre high margin. It has lightning, and the gradient is never steeper than 5 percent. This is the first forest pathway in Europe designed for wheelchair access and the second one equipped with signboards in the Braille alphabet for the blind, according to the Croatian Environmental Journalists Association. An old wooden sawmill, dating from 1836, has been placed at the end of the pathway, and this facility is also made for easy access for the disabled. --Zlatko Domljan, Croatian Environmental Journalists Association, domljan@vip.hr FORUM PROMOTES ECO-TOURISM IN BULGARIA SOFIA, Oct. 2 - The first National Eco-Tourism Forum, a gathering intended to encourage eco-tourism in Bulgaria, took place in the capital Oct. 2-5, with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The forum was inspired by the United Nations international year of eco-tourism, and aims to present and discuss the Bulgarian national strategy on promoting eco-tourism. This strategy is being prepared through the cooperation of the Ministry of Environment and Waters, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Agriculture of Bulgaria, who organised the event in cooperation with the USAID's Biodiversity Conservation and Economic Growth Project. International experts ran workshops on such diverse areas as eco-tourism management, marketing, product development, biodiversity conservation and community development. The average share of eco-tourism in most countries is about 5-7 percent of the total tourism market, but it can be much higher. For example, in Ecuador, eco-tourism accounts for about 60 percent of the total income from tourism. Experts at the meeting said that, by developing a national strategy, Bulgaria could become a regional leader in the field of eco-tourism and could provide a positive example for the region. --BlueLink Information network, dora@bluelink.net, BOSNIA AND HERCEGOVINA FACES UNIQUE DIFFICULTIES IN PROTECTING NATURE SARAJEVO Oct. 1 - The unusual system of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina makes environmental protection difficult, and non-governmental organisations also face many obstacles, but some NGOs are still trying to make a difference. Since the 1995 peace agreement officially separated Bosnia and Herzegovina into two entities - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska - the responsibility for environmental protection has also been divided. Although the environment ministries of the two entities have agreed to work together, thus far the cooperation has been limited. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is further divided into 10 cantons, which have much autonomy, so environmental protection responsibilities in that entity are even further fragmented. Bosnia and Herzegovina has beautiful natural treasures, including jagged peaks and other unusual landscapes. Unfortunately, only 0.55 percent of the total area of the country is protected. The largest protected areas are Sutjeska and Kozara national parks and the Blidinje and Hutovo blato nature parks. Bosnia and Herzegovina has an urgent need to defend its natural resources in an efficient and organised way. After the destruction of the recent war, it might be logical to expect that the people would work together to help heal the country's wounded natural beauty. But the environment apparently has a low priority with officials, and short-sighted profiteers and vandals are being allowed to do further damage to the land. It seems clear that environmental protection cannot be left exclusively to the entities, cantons and local communities. Without a coherent, countrywide environmental policy, like the kind found elsewhere around the world, Bosnia and Herzegovina is more vulnerable. The lack of environmental laws, and the poor economic state of the country, have also made it hard for environmental NGOs to do their work. There are at least 130 environmental NGOs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and these organisations' work is especially important, given the weakness of environmental enforcement from the government. But there are limited resources for NGOs, and they must struggle to survive. In spite of these problems, environmental NGO's are making efforts to protect nature, and have had some successes in last few years: NGOs helped prevent construction of a power plant on the Neretva River and prevent construction of mini power plants on the Una River; NGOs supported revitalisation of the Sutjeska National Park; NGOs have driven initiatives to found Igman-Bjelasnica Nature Park and Prenj-Cvrsnica-Cabulja National Park; they have also undertaken many clean-up actions, reforestation, educational projects and publishing activities. --Edin Abadzik, Fondeko, fondeko@bih.net.ba OPINION: Xhemal Mato adapted this opinion piece TIRANA, Oct. 15 - During a recent meeting of European deputies, Prime Minister Fatos Nano again declared his support for an agreement to send fresh drinking water from southern Albanian to Italy via an undersea pipeline. Those who made the agreement claim that there will be no environmental problems, and that any potential environmental damage will be considered carefully. But many experts think it is impossible to export such a great flow of water without causing problems. Under the agreement between Italy and Albania, 5.5 cubic metres of water per second will be taken from 18 springs near the source of the Bistrica River. This water will travel by pipeline along the Albanian coastline to Otranto in the Vlora area, where the water will go through four one-meter-wide pipes that pass under the sea for 85 kilometres. The pipes will take water from a rich source, but just because there is a great quantity of water in this zone, or elsewhere in Albania, doesn't mean there is too much water there. This water is a component of an ancient eco-system. Although Italian and Albanian engineers try to justify the project, many others say that the loss of this water is sure to damage our environment. Nineteen engineers who studied the waters in this zone have argued forcefully against the project. Several environmental associations have joined in protesting the work. The work is going through without a thorough study of the environmental impacts. Even the best engineers cannot foresee the potential damage without a thorough study. Fatmir Xhafa, former minister of territory and tourism and one of the main initiators of this project, has claimed that the loss of water will not cause a problem. "According to the specialists, the project will have no negative impact on the environmental and tourist development of the district," he has said. "There will be no impact on the water reserves." These statements are naive and illogical: Of course the water reserves will be affected. Nonetheless, the government still supports the plan. Xhafa has also enthusiastically claimed that the money from the sale of water will be used to finance an integrated development in Sarande-Vlore district, but it seems unlikely that there can be any development without a sufficient water supply. Unfortunately, former-minister Xhafa handled the process backwards: First the sale of the water was completed, then there was a study about what our real water needs are. It is obvious that water is very important in any project, but right now we do not have accurate measures of our water needs. The government wants to give our fresh water away to our friends when the water in the capital city comes from a tainted reservoir. Before we give water to other countries, especially through a system of pipes, we should be clear about the quantity of our water reserves and our needs for the long-term future, taking into consideration all human activities and the needs of the environment. The approval of a national water strategy and a national water reserves plan will serve this aim. We must remember to use our water wisely, and remember the often-repeated warning: If there is a third world war, it will be over water. --Xhemal Mato, Massmedia and Environment, xhmato@icc-al.org ********** Copyright 2002 by the Regional Environmental Press Center ********** | Home | About Us | News | Resources | Services |
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