Two phases of activities at the polluted location "Incel" are over

BANJA LUKA - The Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska will co-finance the project of land remediation in the Banja Luka Business Zone "Incel" through the Fund for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency, said for Srna, Minister Srebrenka Golic.

Golic stated that this is a project "Environmentally friendly management of persistent organic pollutants in the industrial sector of waste management - Development of a project for remediation and reclamation of land at the location Incel".

She added that UNDP addressed the Ministry and the Fund with a request for co-financing of project activities within the realization of the project "Environmentally friendly management of persistent organic pollutants in the industrial sector of waste management".

"Within the project, which is financed by the Government of Sweden and implemented by the UNDP office in BiH, two phases of activities at the 'Incel' location in Banja Luka have been completed, in the total value of 260,000 dollars in donor funds," Golic said.

In the first phase, which lasted from August to December 2019, stated Golić, a preliminary assessment of the pollution of the location of the business zone "Incel" was performed, on which international experts were engaged.

"According to the adopted methodology, the task was to perform a preliminary assessment of the risk to the environment and human health from pollution, based on the analysis of the situation on the ground and the documentation of the operational team appointed by the line minister, which consisted of representatives of relevant institutions in Srpska." ", added Golić.

She stated that, based on a preliminary risk assessment, an initial conceptual model of the site was developed.

According to her, the result of these activities are conclusions and recommendations for the next steps and activities that need to be implemented in order to get a complete picture of the state of pollution with polychlorinated biphenyls at the site, based on which concrete measures have been proposed.

The second phase, she says, from June to the end of September 2020, included taking and analyzing soil samples for contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls in the "Incel" business zone.

"This phase was realized by the company 'Dekonta' from the Czech Republic, which is accredited to provide special services in the field of land remediation at polluted locations," states Golić.

She points out that based on the performed field works and laboratory analyzes, expert reports on field works, pollution assessment, and a report on the assessment of technologies for site

remediation were made together with a list of priority activities for those locations where certain risks to human health and ecosystem were identified.

Golic says that as the next step, it is necessary to make a project of remediation and reclamation of land at the location "Incel" in accordance with the Rulebook on the content of remediation and reclamation projects.

It is estimated that $ 150,000 will need to be allocated for the development of the Remediation Project, of which $ 40,000 will be allocated through the said project.

"Having in mind the importance of the problem for Banja Luka and Republika Srpska as a whole, as well as the fact that the remediation project would be the final and last document before the remediation of the location, it is necessary to set aside 110,000 dollars from the Government of Srpska," stressed Golic.

The construction of the financing is designed so that the Fund participates in it with 160,000 KM, and the remaining amount to be co-financed from the project "Environmentally friendly management of persistent organic pollutants in the industrial waste management sector" funded by the Government of Sweden.