Bucim, located in the mountainous area of Radovis Municipality,
approximately 125 kilometres southeast of city of Skopje, Macedonia –
The Mine “Bucim” is listed as one of the environmentally hazardous
hotspots. Its uncontrolled toxic waste outflows into the groundwater
and neighbouring surface water bodies, un-reclaimed waste rock, dust
and tailings, industrial emissions, and other poorly disposed mining
waste materials have created environmentally hazardous conditions for
residents and ecosystems in the local areas, and living along various
water bodies into which the toxins from Bucim have been discharged.
Those environmentally hazardous toxins have also reached neighbouring
Bulgaria and Greece through rivers and streams to cause cross-border
environmental pollution issues in recent years.
The proposed
intervention under this programme are based on the Environmental Impact
Assessment Study for the Mine “Bucim” prepared in June 2006 and are
aimed at addressing the historical pollution and prevention of the
future pollution in two main respects: 1) by designing a system for
collection and treatment of the waters from the mining zone, the
tailing pond and the waste-rock dump, thus eliminating the pollution of
Topolnicka River and further downstream rivers Bregalnica and Vardar;
2) undertaking measures for protection of air, i.e. approximately 30 ha
of the tailing dump will be re-cultivated with a method of direct
re-vegetation of biologically inactive materials. This method is much
more efficient, less costly and provides better results in comparison
to the classical methods that include covering the tailings with soil
and manual planting of the vegetation.
Lojane
Lojane, Chromium and Antimony Beneficiation Plant and abandoned Mine
located near the border with Serbia and Kosovo, Macedonia - The mine
was active in the period from 1923 till 1979 and after the cessation of
mining activities, complete infrastructure i.e. production facilities
(underground workings), beneficiation (flotation and smelting -ore
frying) facilities, waste dump and tailings ponds, as much as storage
yards, silo's and workshops were abandoned without undertaking any
conservation measures thus becoming very dangerous sources of
contamination with heavy and toxic metals (As, Hg, Cr6+, Sb). The Mine
is identified as one of the industrial contaminated sites - “hot spot”
within the National Environmental Action Plan (2006) and the National
Plan for Waste Management (2005).
The proposed intervention under this programme is limited to removal
of hazardous waste and it will be complementary with cleaning activity
in primary hot spot “Bucim”. This intervention is expected to protect
kids in a rural primary school, which are right now unacceptably
affected by extremely high levels of cancer, and other illnesses due to
the air pollution produced by arsenic and other gases emanating from
the open damp.
Bucim, located in the mountainous area of Radovis Municipality,
approximately 125 kilometres southeast of city of Skopje, Macedonia –
The Mine “Bucim” is listed as one of the environmentally hazardous
hotspots. Its uncontrolled toxic waste outflows into the groundwater
and neighbouring surface water bodies, un-reclaimed waste rock, dust
and tailings, industrial emissions, and other poorly disposed mining
waste materials have created environmentally hazardous conditions for
residents and ecosystems in the local areas, and living along various
water bodies into which the toxins from Bucim have been discharged.
Those environmentally hazardous toxins have also reached neighbouring
Bulgaria and Greece through rivers and streams to cause cross-border
environmental pollution issues in recent years.
Lojane, Chromium and Antimony Beneficiation Plant and abandoned Mine
located near the border with Serbia and Kosovo, Macedonia - The mine
was active in the period from 1923 till 1979 and after the cessation of
mining activities, complete infrastructure i.e. production facilities
(underground workings), beneficiation (flotation and smelting -ore
frying) facilities, waste dump and tailings ponds, as much as storage
yards, silo's and workshops were abandoned without undertaking any
conservation measures thus becoming very dangerous sources of
contamination with heavy and toxic metals (As, Hg, Cr6+, Sb). The Mine
is identified as one of the industrial contaminated sites - “hot spot”
within the National Environmental Action Plan (2006) and the National
Plan for Waste Management (2005).
FYR Macedonia