What have the authorities done to stop the construction of a nuclear waste repository at Trgovska gora?

(Patria) - What have the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina done to stop the construction of a nuclear waste repository at Trgovska gora, in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, near Novi Grad, in BiH?

This question has been in the public focus for years, but there is no concrete answer. However, the authorities firmly deny the opposition's accusations that the lives and health of people are not among their priorities.

The danger of nuclear waste for 250,000 people, for the next 300 years. This is how the old problem of Trgovska gora on the border of Croatia with BiH could be described in one sentence. Low and medium-level radioactive waste, mostly imported, from the Krško nuclear power plant in Slovenia would be stored there. Bosnian-Herzegovinian authorities at all levels have been unanimously opposing such a solution for years, but there are no results of their work.

"We live in fear every day, but we do not stop hoping that someone will do something to prevent the disaster," says Mario Crnković, an ecologist from Novi Grad.

Trgovska gora - Čerkezovac microlocation, a former military warehouse, and a threat to 13 municipalities in the Una river basin. The opposition warned during the current session in the National Assembly of RS that nothing, or almost nothing, has been done to protect the lives and health of citizens. However, the relevant minister does not share the opinion that it is "just another Trgovska gora of all our absurdities".

"We are doing everything in our power, but you must know that this is a very complex problem," emphasizes Bojan Vipotnik, Minister for Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of RS.

Experts actively dealing with the evident problem in the Una river basin, however, do not have optimistic public statements.

"We have been in talks with the Croatian side several times. Experts agree that this is a big problem and danger. But, these are human considerations. I fear that this is a matter of politics," says Neđo Đurić, a member of the BiH Expert Team.

Only a judgment by the International Court of Justice in favor of BiH, legal experts agree, could stop the construction of the repository and the disposal of nuclear waste on the border of BiH with Croatia, thereby protecting the environment and preserving the health of present and future generations of people.

(BHRT)