A large mass of foam appeared yesterday at the dam where the Lepenc River joins the Vardar. This phenomenon was reported in Skopje, and immediately after the notification, teams from the City and the Ministry of Environment went to the site to carry out the necessary inspections.

Journalist Zekirija Haxhiu reported that although the water is clear today, throughout yesterday the surface was completely covered with foam. He added that at the point where the Lepenc flows into the Vardar, an unidentified substance was seen, and the responsible authorities have taken samples, continuing with inspections to determine its nature.

Samples have been collected and analyses are underway. The Ministry of Environment communicated that inspection procedures cannot be carried out quickly and require at least 24 hours. Concrete results are expected to be released on Monday.

The Ministry of Environment stressed that the inspection process is still ongoing and verifications are being conducted according to the legal framework. They assured that once all checks are completed and official results are obtained, the public will be informed in a timely and transparent manner about the findings and the measures to be taken.

Meanwhile, the City of Skopje deployed a drone to identify the source of the pollution, while the services of the Public Enterprise “Water Supply and Sewerage” were instructed to take water samples. The Mayor of Skopje, Orce Gjorgjievski, warned that the culprit will be discovered very soon and appropriate charges will be filed against them./Alsat.mk.

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Representatives of institutions, the company, the professional community, environmental organizations, as well as interested citizens attended the session and were given the opportunity to present their positions and suggestions regarding the draft permit.

Although the Ministry of Environment stated that the new operating criteria for the company have been aligned with European directives, this did not convince representatives of the civic initiative “Stop Usje,” who demanded that the company not be granted the ecological A permit for the next seven-year period, from 2027 to 2034.

“So far, everything we have submitted as proposals and our remarks has not been implemented. Even though every day we hear that everything will be in line with European standards, that does not appear in any document. We want to see it in writing, and the concerns remain the same as before: the pollution limit, and the aspect of monitoring and publishing the level of pollution,” said Marija Manolco from the Civic Initiative “Stop USJE.”

On the other hand, the Ministry of Environment repeated that the procedure for obtaining the operating permit is being carried out in line with European directives.

“The new operating permit they will receive will be based on the new conditions arising from the new control law, and the purpose of this debate is to increase transparency in the granting of the license. We have also spoken with the civic initiative ‘Stop USJE,’ and during the next week we will receive them at the ministry, but we can guarantee that the new requirements are in line with European directives,” stressed Besa Tateshi from the Ministry of Environment.

Company representatives also said that USJE, throughout all its years of operation, has operated according to the required standards and that it will continue in the same way under the new, stricter principles.

“We follow all the publications, but I can say that TITAN USJE is working with the highest responsibility and in a transparent manner, which is why we are here, to hear all their concerns and to give an explanation for those concerns, but I strongly believe that the problem lies in misunderstanding, and I believe that through dialogue we will increase trust,” said Natasha Bakreska, environmental manager at the USJE cement factory.

/rtm2

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