Bashkiria Supreme Court ordered Sibay plant to increase its sanitary protection zone

UFA, 12 December 2019. /Bashinform News Agency/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

The Bashkortostan Supreme Court overruled the decision of the Sibay City Court and ordered the Sibay Mining and Processing Plant, which is part of the UMMC Holding, to apply to Rospotrebnadzor with a statement on the establishment of new boundaries of the sanitary protection zone around the smoldering quarry by 2022. According to «Kommersant», the appellate court decided that the defendant, in particular, violated the constitutional right of Sibay residents to a favorable environment. The company intends to appeal the decision of the Supreme Court RB.

The court materials do not specify how far the sanitary protection zone should be increased. At the appellate court, the representative of Rospotrebnadzor insisted that the defendant did not provide for the possibility of ore oxidation and did not take measures to avoid air pollution. The Supreme Court RB concluded that Sibaysky Mining Plant violated SanPiN “Hygienic requirements for ensuring the quality of atmospheric air in populated areas”, “did not prevent the appearance of irritating odors”, allowed adverse effects on the health of Sibay residents of sulfur dioxide and dihydrosulfide during periods when their maximum permissible concentrations were exceeded. Also, the company did not ensure compliance with the daily average MPC of these substances, failed to take measures to increase the size of the sanitary protection zone around the quarry. The court ruling specifies that repeated excesses of the maximum permissible concentration of pollutants indicate the presence of conditions for increasing the sanitary protection zone. Besides, the judges reminded the defendant of the Russian Constitution, which guarantees every citizen of the country the right to a favorable environment.

As the Bashinform News Agency reported, residents of the Kalinino village of the Baimaksky district contacted the electronic reception of the Bashkortostan authorities. It follows from their message that on December 6, 2019, a dust storm rose from the tailing dump of the Sibaysky branch of the Mining Plant.