Photo: Aleksandar AnđićThe number of illegal landfills has hardly changed in the last decade, nor has the state of the rivers. The degree of environmental pollution faced by the citizens of Serbia is also a drastic violation of human rights
Out of 6,6 million citizens, according to the last census live in Serbia, four million of them are exposed to polluted air.
This information was presented by the program director of the Regulatory Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment (RERI), Mirko Popović, at the forum "Human Rights and the Environment".
In addition to all that, the number of illegal landfills has hardly changed in the last decade, as well as the condition of rivers and the overall ecological situation.
That Serbia is among the most polluted countries or that a city from Serbia is among the most polluted cities in the world hardly surprises anyone anymore. But the question is whether the institutions or the state as a whole are doing something about it.
A healthy environment is not only an environmental issue. The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia guarantees that everyone has the right to a healthy environment and to timely and complete information about its condition.
Shows about ecology should be played before the daily
Popović says that the situation in Serbia is so bad that before the central daily at 19.30:XNUMX, there should be specialized broadcasts about ecology, and that the weather forecast should also provide information about the current state of ecological parameters in addition to the usual data.
In his opinion, the degree of environmental pollution faced by the citizens of Serbia is also a drastic violation of human rights.
"There is an entrenched view in our country that the administration serves to help the economy somehow find its way through the difficult process of European integration and to more easily carry the burden of compliance with the standards and high requirements of EU environmental protection. There can be no tolerance for pollution and toleration of endangering people's rights. The only thing we can accept is zero tolerance for polluters," said Popović.
Sacrificed cities
Referring to the assessment of the UN special rapporteur for the protection of environmental rights, David Boyd, that there are victim zones on the planet, that is, extremely contaminated areas, the representative of RERI cited as an example the situation in Valjevo, where citizens have been exposed to heavy pollution for more than 10 years. whereby the right to access information and to be informed about the environment is threatened.
"We had a drastic and devastating experience in the last few months in Valjevo, where we concluded that the administration in the city of Valjevo does not have the capacity to provide even the realization of that basic right to access information. Therefore, they are not able to provide even access to basic information", said Popović.
How alarming the situation is in this city shows the "IRevolucija" association. According to their data, if only the problem of using bad energy sources at the "Krusik" factory would be solved, the total air pollution would be less between 20 and 25 percent.
Environmental activists under attack from the authorities
According to Milena Vasić from YUKOM, for the last three years, this organization has been keeping records of threats to activists. In addition to those who deal with human rights, a large number of environmental activists who are under attack by the government suddenly started to appear in that period.
"Organizations dealing with environmental issues were faced with excessive use of force, physical attacks, detentions, inhuman and degrading treatment, torture, detentions, misdemeanor proceedings, malicious lawsuits, and extremely negative campaigns in the media and on social networks", says Vasić.
As he states, environmental activists constantly have to defend their right to defend the environment.
BG/Voice of America
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