|
 |
| Home | About Us | News | Resources | Services | Forum | Search | |
Services for Environmental Journalists from South Eastern Europe |
|
 | |
| |
 |
|
||||||
 |
|
|
SEE ENVIRONMENT WATCH Information for journalists interested in the Environment of South Eastern Europe March 13, 2003 * Volume 2, Number 3 |
|
|||
|
|
|
* * * Serbia and Montenegro look for permanent nuke dump Belgrade, March 9, 2003 - Serbia and Montenegro this month decided to reorganise its nuclear programme, part of a long-term plan to find permanent storage for the remnants of a recently shuttered research reactor. The most serious remaining safety problem at the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences involves its large research reactor, which ceased operation in 1984. Filled with spent fuel, it still needs to be dismantled. Also on the institute's grounds are 30-year-old hangars filled with radioactive waste from the use of radio-nuclides in scientific research, medical institutions, industry, agricultural plants and certain publicly funded projects. Last August, 50 kg of highly enriched uranium - sufficient to make two atomic bombs - was transported from the Vinca Institute to Dmitrovgrad, Russia, as part of the "Green Vinca" programme for permanent removal of radioactive waste. The move was required according to the country's membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency of Vienna and the Agreement on Non-Distribution of Nuclear Weapons. The "Green Vinca" programme aims to remove the threat of radiation poisoning for the institute, Belgrade and surrounding areas by moving the waste to a new, secure storage site for low and medium-grade radioactive material. The removal of the highly enriched uranium from Vinca was part of an agreement between the governments of Serbia and the United States and the Vinca Institute and supported by the then state of Yugoslavia. Under this agreement, the US government granted the institute USD 720,000. The funds were earmarked for the procurement of secure nuclear-waste containers. The money was also supposed to support the removal of the nuclear reactor and all its radioactive parts, and the transfer of all these materials, along with waste in temporary storage at the Vinca Institute. Last November, the government discussed and adopted a planning document concerning long-term storage of nuclear waste in Serbia and Montenegro. The programme was developed by the Vinca Nuclear Sciences Institute in accordance with a law on the protection from ionic radiation and under the supervision of the International Agency for Atomic Energy of Vienna. The first stage of the programme includes determining the best sites for storing the waste. The current, temporary storage facilities were meant to last another five to six years. According to plans announced this month, the Vinca Institute will be split in two. The new successor organisations would be called the National Science Institute and the Research and Development Institute for Technical and Technological Sciences, said Serbian Minister of Science, Technology and Development Dragan Domazet at the announcement. The Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, 14 km from Belgrade, was founded in 1948 as a research centre for the realisation of the National Nuclear Programme. The former Soviet Union provided 80 percent of the centre's highly enriched uranium fuel, which was used for a large research reactor and for a small zero-power reactor dedicated to civil research. -- Story by EkoForum, www.ekoforum.org.yu - Yugoslavia. * * * Conflicting laws hamper mercury clean-up Tirana, March 2 2003 - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has granted USD 300,000 to help clean up an area in Albania's Vlora region which is contaminated with mercury from a now-abandoned caustic soda factory. The 28-hectare area has been polluted since 1994, according to the Albanian Ministry of Environment. Measurements show that traces of mercury are present up to two metres deep in the soil, which is why the ministry has designated the site an environmental hot spot. Mercury, which is released during chemical processes, poses a danger not only to local residents but also to tourists. Complicating matters is a 2001 resolution signed by former Prime Minister Ilir Meta and the former head of the Council of Territory Regulation of the Albanian Republic (CTRAR) which permits private fuel companies to install underground fuel tanks. The use of one such tank, at a PVC factory in Vlora, will continue through the end of this year. An expert from Ministry of Environment said that his office never gave permission for the tank's use and therefore the responsible authorities never performed a study of its environmental impact in accordance with relevant laws. The Vlora problem is emblematic of a greater difficulty controlling companies that don't follow standards for the protection of the environment. This isn't the only instance of conflicting laws between the Cabinet and Ministry of Environment and the latter has no power to rectify the situation. At a recent meeting organised by an environmental NGO, the issue was discussed. Deputy Environmental Ministry Besnik Bare urged non-profit groups to pressure the government to solve the problem. -- Story by Rajmonda Sallaku Nelku, raymillenium@yahoo.com - Albania. * * * City charged up about battery factory Skopje, March 7, 2003 - A car battery factory near the Lepenec River must be immediately relocated and the government should reconsider its operating permit, according to the mayor of the local municipality. The Regenerator factory sits next to the headwaters of the Lepenec River, which during the summer provides 30% of the local population's water needs. It would be a "crime" if the local springs were polluted, according to Stevce Jakimovski, mayor of Karpos, the largest district of Skopje. "If 40-50 years ago environmental awareness was low, today it is much higher and we must protect these wells," he said. Jakimovski added that the local water utility and several NGOs opposed the construction of the factory. The distrust of the local population has been heightened by the factory owners' past record in the town of Zletovo, where a similar operation has been blamed for the poisoning of several residents. The factory owner is being prosecuted in relation to that case. Construction of the Regenerator factory began a year ago with the help of a government investment of about EUR 750,000. Text about the project's impact on the environment is missing from its documentation. The NGOs claim that if the factory ever operates, Skopje will become a second Veles, Macedonia's most polluted city, due to large emissions of sulphur dioxide. Officials from the Ministry of Environment stated that the factory's owners include two Macedonian citizens, the Bulgarian company Free Form, and the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning. Environmental officials claimed irregularities in the project, because according to the law on solid waste, the state can open no more than one company for solid waste treatment. They have also questioned how the Ministry of Urbanism issued the license for this factory. Marjan Dodovski, former minister of environment, rejected these claims, saying that "all norms were observed in regard to this project." He said that the project was launched a year and a half ago, when Vladimir Dzabirski headed the Ministry of Environment. Dodovski said that the factory's production process was based on a method for clean production. -- Story by Environmental Press Center, ecopress@ecopresscenter.org. * * * Polluting car problem stuck in neutral Sarajevo, February 26, 2003 - Being the only country in Europe without an environmental law in force, Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently unable to do anything about its surfeit of polluting, Socialist-era cars. Bosnia has no laws obliging car owners to undergo environmental tests, while neighbouring Croatia will ban from its roads all vehicles that don't pass such a test from October this year. This means vehicles without catalytic converters won't be issued license plates or granted registration. It is envisaged that 30-50 percent of cars that significantly pollute the environment will be removed from traffic. The roads of Bosnia and Herzegovina are crowded with thousands of cars 12-16 years old. Officials say that a bill to restrict such cars has been adopted by the House of Peoples but is now stuck before the House of Representatives. "The Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation is currently the only territory in Europe with no environmental laws in force," said Angja Hadziabdic, head of the Department for Assessment of Environmental Changes at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Environmental Protection. "The new regulations for car registration will be stricter than those currently in force. However, there is no need for radical steps. It would be much better to gradually introduce the changes so that car owners can get used to the new regulations and I hope we will assist them along the way, as well." Vehicles manufactured after 1990 should have factory-installed catalytic converters, said Boran Pikula, a mechanical engineering professor. The catalytic converter should be replaced after every 60,000-100,000 kilometres, he said. "That's where the problems start," Pikula said. "Since people are not obligated to replace the inserts, they simply don't do it at all. Sometimes they even insert a plain pipe instead of catalytic converter to get rid of a problem." One possible incentive for people to maintain their catalytic converters would be to grant certain exemptions for cars that come for a technical check-up with a sound catalytic converter. -- Story by Almir Panjeta, www.fondeko.co.ba. * * * Balkans rally for threatened eagle Sofia, March 7, 2003 - The countries of Southeastern Europe should cooperate more to save the imperial eagle, according to participants at an environmental workshop last month in Madjarovo, Bulgaria. Forty-two participants from Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Hungary and Germany met from February 21-24 to share their information and experiences concerning imperial eagle conservation. They identified the main threats to the species and prioritised steps to ensure its survival. They planned mutual research activity in habitats that cross national borders and they prepared a map of the birds' distribution. A strategic action plan for the conservation of the bird on the Balkan Peninsula is to be prepared as a consequence of the meeting. During an excursion to feeding areas in the Sakar Mountains, the BSPB, participants had the chance to observe not only imperial eagles, but also white-tailed eagles, griffons and black vultures. The workshop was organised by BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria in partnership with the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Macedonia, and Natura Balkanika, Serbia. It had German technical support from the GTZ agency by way of the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. The project focuses on imperial eagle conservation in three adjoining nations which each have 60-80 pairs of this globally threatened species. -- Story by Stoyco Stoycov, BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria. * * * Mining and environment training for journalists Szentendre, March 5, 2003 - A training session on the effects of mining on the environment is open to journalists and NGO professionals at the University of Miskolc, Hungary, from May 19 to 22. Lectures will focus on mining's impacts on human health, the environment and society. Speakers will discuss technologies, the inherent risks of mining, laws about cyanide use, mining waste and its disposal, the role and achievements of NGOs and legal obligations of polluters. The causes of accidents and their consequences will be addressed. Panel discussions will allow for the exchange of ideas, which won't be without controversy. A field trip will give participants a first-hand view of the problems discussed and will provide an opportunity to hear the latest news from those working in the field. For further information and a registration form, see the Ore Mining and Environmental Technology Information Network project site at www.omentin.org. Registration deadline: March 31, 2003. Journalists may also contact Kristina Vilimaite, The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Ady Endre ut 9-11, 2000 Szentendre, Hungary. Tel: (36-26) 504-000. Fax: (36-26) 311-294. E-mail: Kristina@rec.org. * * * SEE Environment Watch is an e-mail newsletter designed to keep journalists informed about interesting environmental stories developing in South Eastern Europe (SEE). This mailing is going out to everyone on the Green Horizon mailing list. SEE Environment Watch is published by the Regional Environmental Press Center, which has the goal of encouraging more press coverage of environmental issues in the SEE region by making sure journalists are well informed about these issues. This newsletter is designed to assist in that goal by disseminating information. The Press Center, which has an office in Skopje, Macedonia and correspondents in all the countries and territories of the SEE region, also publishes a website at <www.ecopresscenter.org> and answers individual journalist's queries sent to <ecopress@ecopresscenter.org>. The Regional Environmental Press Center is funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The project is being administered in cooperation with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. ********** Copyright 2003 by the Regional Environmental Press Center ********** | Home | About Us | News | Resources | Services |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
