About twenty associations from BiH sent a letter of support to the Association of Environmental Organizations of Serbia, in the joint fight for the protection of the Drina River against the company Rio Tinto, which is not giving up on building a lithium mine.
NGOs from BiH, from Bijeljina, Sarajevo, Foca, Doboj, Mostar, Banja Luka, Visegrad and Kruscica, have expressed great concern over new threats to pollute the Drina River, the Srpskainfo portal reported.
“The mining company Rio Tinto, which plans to excavate on the banks of the Drina, is recognized as a company that does not respect environmental standards, uses extremely dirty ore processing technology, which has caused several environmental disasters in the last 30 years around the world,” said BiH activists. .
It is also stated that the technology for lithium processing implies the use of extremely toxic materials, primarily sulfuric acid, which is heated to 250 degrees.
According to expert estimates, that would lead to the destruction of forests, rivers, flora and fauna within a radius of 50 kilometers around the mine, and the consequences would be felt within a radius of 200 kilometers from the mine.
“It will take more than 500 years for the country to fully recover from the closure of the mine,” the letter of support to the Federation of Environmental Organizations said.
They invited other associations and organizations that fight for the protection of rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina to join them and help in the fight to preserve the Drina and all its tributaries.
“The opening of the lithium mine near Loznica in Serbia, planned by Rio Tinto, has all the preconditions to cause large-scale pollution through the Jadar River in Serbia, which flows into the Drina River, as a common natural border between BiH and Serbia,” said activists. BiH.
The letter points out that the citizens of BiH, as well as numerous associations, are extremely concerned about new threats that suggest the destruction of the bar ecosystem of the lower Drina river basin and the pollution of underground flows of healthy and drinking water.