According to data obtained from NGOs, the air pollution in Pljevlja during the past few days was more than 11 times or 1,100 percent above the maximum allowed level of PM10 particles concentration. On the other hand, the Environmental Protection Agency stressed the data can be fully trusted, urging all those interested in the situation in the town to turn to them, promising they would respond.
Djacic has said that the situation in Pljevlja produces much greater effects for those who are following the situation from a distance than for citizens of Pljevlja. However, neither they do approve it.
“It is the fact that there has been extreme fog in Pljevlja in the last two or three days. It immediately implies a big complication when it comes to polluted air in Pljevlja. It is a phenomenon that regularly appears in Pljevlja, particularly in December and January, when there is an intensive, heavy fog in the town 24 hours a day. There is reduced visibility, air quality parameters are very bad, and then the general impression is very bad,” Djacic said.
Secretary of State for Environment Daliborka Pejovic yesterday said that the Government of Montenegro allocated €500,000 for purchasing new heating sources for the citizens of Pljevlja and sought assets for long-term solution for environmental pollution problem from the EU funds.
“The biggest part of these assets is allocated for the purchase of briquettes and pellets to be used in heating stations in the town and in households. There were no bidders on the first tender call. It was repeated and only one company submitted a bid, but it was incomplete”, Djacic said.
Since there were no interested bidders, they required the Public Procurement Office to approve them to purchase the goods through a negotiating procedure.
“Negotiation is scheduled for December 9th. I think there are six companies interested, so we will try to choose partners who will deliver the requested quantities,” said Djacic.
As he explained, citizens will get the heating source, but not the integral system.
“The question is whether they will opt for coal, wood, pellets or briquettes. We chose the heating sources that produce the lowest amount of particles and harmful matter. The heating systems remain the same. The citizens are very much interested in replacing heating sources, so there will be no problems”, Djacic added.
However, the change of heating sources will improve the situation only to a certain level.
“We need to urgently shut the heating station in the Skerliceva Street down. It spends five to six tonnes of coal a day and it is the biggest problem. Our idea is to build a 15-20MW mini heating plant in the industrial zone to replace the aforementioned heating station and several others. Long-term measures include, in the first place, the comprehensive heating system,” Djacic said.
He says they need at least two years to move the heating station away from the town centre, so it is clear that citizens in Pljevlja will face the same troubles next winter.
“If you have the problems that were created for 33 years, do you believe in the option of finding a solution in six months or a shorter period? Then you can only mislead the public and avoid realistic attitude towards this subject,” said Djacic.
As he added, the only thing that he can recommend to citizens at this point is to spend their free time outside the town and to enjoy the sun in the countryside.
Djacic also says that there is no information on an increased number of people with poor health due to this situation.
“We do not have any benefits of that if we are constantly repeating that situation in Pljevlja is alarming, that introducing state of emergency is necessary and that leadership should resign. We have detected problems in a good way, established short-, medium- and long-term measures and we are ready for long-term action to address this situation,” Djacic concluded.
In addition to Chinese, citizens of Pljevlja are the only people who can see what they breathe
Emir Pilav from Pljevlja told CdM that air in Pljevlja was polluted. Asked whether he had health issues, he answered he had not, but that it was certainly difficult to breathe.
“I have some friends who suffer throat issues,” Pilav said.
He added that his neighbours were accustomed to the situation in Pljevlja.
“The problem is much deeper, because it has not appeared recently and it has not been the biggest one at the moment. I sincerely hope that this new local government will finally do something. In addition to Chinese, citizens of Pljevlja are the only people who can see what they breathe,” Pilav says.
