WHILE LAWSUITS AND COUNTERSUITES ARE ONGOING: Is Kakanj Losing Drinking Water Due to the Mine in Vareš?

In mid-January of this year, an informal group of citizens called "Protect Mehorić-Kakanj" shared a document from the public company Vodokom in Kakanj on social media, urging action from the Federal Inspectorate due to the presence of heavy metals in the drinking water.

The Municipality of Kakanj responded, acknowledging the legal battle for the preservation of water intake while asserting that current analyses indicate the water's suitability for drinking.

"We are fighting for water from the Bukovica water intake! We want to preserve both the quality and quantity of water, protect our forests, and mountains. In recent months, we have initiated a series of activities. We are approaching this issue institutionally, documenting all problems, and addressing relevant inspections and ministries at higher levels... We are persistent in the fight. We have reached out to all relevant institutions. Vodokom, authorized by the Municipal Council to monitor the water situation, has also initiated legal proceedings", stated Mirnes Bajtarević, the mayor of Kakanj.

The necessity of engaging in legal battles, including lawsuits for water, is a result of activities related to the opening of the Adriatic Metals mine in Vares, according to the Municipality of Kakanj. The mine is located on the border between the Municipality of Vares and the Municipality of Kakanj, in close proximity to the sources of drinking water supplied to the Municipality of Kakanj.

Following the publication of the letter on social media, we contacted the Municipality of Kakanj with questions about their actions on this matter. They directed us to the public company Vodokom. We also asked Vodokom Kakanj if the Federal Inspectorate had acted on their request and what water analyses revealed after the appearance of heavy metals.

Almost a year after sending the letter, Vodokom is not informed "whether the Federal Inspectorate has taken action and conducted activities based on the aforementioned request" because they have not received feedback from this institution.

Regarding the presence of heavy metals in drinking water, Vodokom responded to our inquiry, stating that they received information from the Canton Inspectorate for Inspection Affairs, which includes the assertion that "cadmium is considered to be of natural origin from the soil".

"Since May of last year, in monthly sampling and analysis of water from the Bukovica River for the presence of heavy metals, conducted by the company Sistem Qalitas d.o.o. Pale, certain fluctuations have been observed. The observed fluctuations in the mentioned period (from May to December 2023) remained within permissible limits", stated Vodokom.

We also asked the Federal Inspectorate for Inspection Affairs if they had acted on Vodokom's report. Their response, if received, will be published later.

We also asked the Institute of Public Health of the Zenica-Doboj Canton if they had conducted analyses of water quality in the last year in the area of the Municipality of Kakanj, considering that the public company Vodokom Kakanj expressed concern about the presence of heavy metals in drinking water. We have not received a response to this question until the publication of this text.

Although Adriatic Metals company promised to provide an answer to Žurnal's inquiry regarding the presence of heavy metals and lawsuits against activists for days, they have not submitted it by the time of this text's publication. If they provide a response, Žurnal will publish it later.

Even though there hasn't been more specific information from competent institutions regarding the presence of heavy metals in drinking water, the Municipality of Kakanj has expressed its concern about this issue to all relevant institutions. From the Assembly of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, cantonal and federal inspections, to the company Adriatic Metals, which has obtained a concession to open a mine in close proximity to the drinking water source for the Municipality of Kakanj.In early November of last year, the mayor of the Municipality of Kakanj sent a letter urgently requesting measures and information related to the activities of the Adriatic Metals company on the border between the municipalities of Kakanj and Vareš.

The letter stated that since the beginning of mining operations by the Adriatic Metals BH company and its contractors, the Municipality of Kakanj has faced numerous problems and challenges, especially regarding the water supply of the residents of Kakanj.

"Continuous monitoring and water analysis have been carried out since August 2022, every month. In the request of JP Vodokom Kakanj dated May 24, 2023, which was sent to the Federal Inspectorate for Inspection Affairs, among other things, it points to the trend of enormous and constant increase in the presence of cadmium in the conducted water analyses compared to the baseline from April 2021. Cadmium is a metal of the IIB group and a highly toxic element (several times more toxic than arsenic). It has carcinogenic effects, damages the kidneys, causes anemia, and bone diseases", stated Mayor Bajtarević in the letter.

Furthermore, in their letter, the Municipality of Kakanj alerted to the condition in and around the bed of the Bukovica River and Borovičko riverbed, which are used to supply water for drinking in the Municipality of Kakanj.

"The situation in and around the bed in the upper part of the Bukovica River, namely the Borovički stream, used by JP Vodokom for supplying drinking water from the perspective of the Municipality of Kakanj (II water protection zone), is quite complex and extremely challenging in the context of JP Vodokom's procedures in the water production and treatment process. In the section along the Bukovica River, clear-cutting of the forest was carried out over a length of about 800 meters and a width of 30-40 meters, left/right along the Bukovica River. This, in the water production and treatment process, creates significant problems primarily with the constant appearance of high turbidity at the water intake, and there is also a potentially significant danger of water contamination with other pollutants such as oil, motor oil, etc. The construction of facilities for the needs of the mine also causes water turbidity", stated the Municipality of Kakanj.

In late August 2021, JP Vodokom filed a lawsuit against the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining, and Industry due to the decision granting Easter Mining, now Adriatic Metals, a permit for underground exploitation of complex lead, zinc, and barite ores. The court has not yet made a decision on this lawsuit, even though, as stated by the Municipality of Kakanj, it concerns the vital issues of the residents of Kakanj.

In their letter to the Zenica-Doboj Canton Assembly, the Municipality of Kakanj stated that, although they have addressed all relevant institutions, they have not received adequate reactions from competent and responsible cantonal and federal ministries and inspections to date. No special measures and activities have been taken to prevent the endangerment of Kakanj's water supply with drinking water from the Bukovica intake.

Lawsuits Against Activists

Citizens gathered around the group "Protect Mehorić-Kakanj", who have been warning for months about the potential danger of a mine in close proximity to the water source, emphasize that neither the citizens nor the Municipality of Kakanj have been consulted, even though they will suffer the consequences of mining in the area of the Municipality of Vareš.

The representative of citizens gathered in the group "Protect Mehorić-Kakanj", Hajrija Čobo, in an interview with Žurnal, says that the solution is to terminate the concession agreement with the company Adriatic Metals.

"There is a way for the Government of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, the Minister of Economy, and the Prime Minister to sit down with experts who are not paid to lie and who have not sold their honour, dignity, and knowledge for money. They will determine the real situation, and tell the truth that it is an extremely valuable area in terms of biodiversity, invaluable in terms of the water source and watercourse. They will establish that the company exceeded the concession area the day they appeared in Mehorić, and that the company committed a criminal act of deforestation when they mistakenly cut down 3 thousand square meters of forest. They will determine that Prime Minister of the Federation, Nermin Nikšić, calling high-value forest a 'thicket' is not okay, and ultimately, they will terminate this concession agreement in the best interest of public health", says Čobo.

Adriatic Metals has filed a defamation lawsuit against Hajrija Čobo for her statements about the activities of this company.

Non-governmental organizations have previously warned that the lawsuit by Adriatic Metals should be seen in the context of the decision of the Secretariat of the Bern Convention at the Council of Europe, instructing the relevant authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to halt mining operations in Vareš until the facts presented by activist Čobo in her lawsuit are clarified.

The Secretariat expressed regret over the lack of an official response from the Bosnian authorities, signatories of the Bern Convention, a key agreement for the protection of natural species and their habitats. The Secretariat expressed serious concerns about the issues raised by the plaintiff regarding the mining activities of Adriatic Metals, which could result in the loss of species, habitat degradation, and pollution of air, water, and soil, with harmful consequences for the ecosystem. Additionally, there is highlighted concern about the lack of involvement of the local population in the decision-making process.

(zurnal.info)