Protests Succeed: OKTA Accepts Obligation to Install Pollution Measuring Stations

The protests of the local population in the villages surrounding the Macedonian oil refinery OKTA, near Skopje, including the block of traffic into and from the refinery, yielded results. The management accepted the demands of the locals and will install pollution levels measuring equipment and will reconstruct the waste water disposal system of the Refinery. The agreement was reached last Monday, at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which will be one of the signatories, together with the representatives of the refinery and the Municipality of Ilinden. Žika Stojanovski, Mayor of Ilinden, said he was optimistic that the problem with traffic blocks will be solved and added that it was agreed for OKTA to procure the necessary equipment as a donation to the Ministry. The agreement marked the end of the prolonged protests of the citizens of Bujkovci and Miladinovci, the two villages closest to the refinery, who have complained for years over the pollution released by OKTA, causing rising rates of incidence of cancer and respiratory diseases and conditions. Stojanovski noted that all activities will commence immediately after the signing, and that road-blocks will be removed but could appear again if the implementation of agreement doesn`t proceed as planned. The pollution of the refinery has had huge negative effects on the air and the soil in the area, causing irreparable damages to current and future generations. Furthermore, the horrible stench coming from the refinery installations can be felt for kilometres around. An anonymous group of authors retreated to satire and prepared, motivated by the plight of the local population, an internet web-site for the `faux` OKTA Village Travel travel agency, which offers the so-called pollution tourism, offering the refinery as an attractive destination under the motto: OKTA Village – A place for a new and colourful experience. (For more, visit www.oktavillagetravel.com). The OKTA Management, owned by Greek company Hellenic Petroleum, has refused for years to accept the responsibility for the pollution. From the moment it was privatized, the media repeatedly claimed that the Greek owners invested almost nothing to improve the environmental protection standards at the Refinery, which uses outdated technology and needs through reconstruction and upgrading of technology.