In late 2024, the Cantonal Court in Mostar annulled the permit issued by the Federation Ministry of Energy, Mining, and Industry, which had allowed Adriatic Metals BH to mine lead, zinc, and barite in the hills between Vareš and Kakanj.
The court’s decision followed a lawsuit filed by the Kakanj public utility company Vodokom, which had refused in May 2021 to grant approval to the mining company Adriatic Metals (formerly Eastern Mining) for the construction of a mining facility.
The Federation Ministry disregarded the earlier decision of Vodokom and, two months later, granted the mining company permission for underground ore mining in the Rupice – Juraševac – Brestić area. In response, Vodokom filed a lawsuit in August 2021.
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Three and a half years later, the Cantonal Court in Mostar ruled that before issuing the contested decision, the authorities “should have clarified whether the proposed mineral extraction and construction of related facilities would negatively impact the Bukovica water source”.
Kakanj’s water supply comes from the Bukovica River, which is fed by streams from the Vareš area.
In July 2023, journalists from the Centre for Investigative Reporting (CIN), citing geological engineer Mirza Bašagić, reported that the data in the study from the Mining Institute in Tuzla—submitted by Adriatic Metals to the FBiH Ministry as part of their request for approval—was inaccurate. This study was later disputed by the court ruling in Mostar.
The study stated that the mining concession area does not fall within the catchment area of the Bukovica River and that the Rupice deposit is located downstream from the river’s water intake, claiming that future mining operations would not impact the water intake.
“It is incomprehensible that such claims could come from a respected institution like the Mining Institute in Tuzla, especially when it is well-known and clearly evident that the Bukovica water intake is located downstream and at a much lower elevation than the Rupice area,” Bašagić emphasized in his report.
Hajrija Čobo, an environmental activist, said that the people of Kakanj were misled by claims from individuals who hadn’t properly researched the issue, assuring them that mining activities would not affect the underground waters of the Bukovica catchment area.
“Now, the court has determined that the potential impact on the Bukovica River catchment area was not thoroughly investigated, yet mining operations have already been carried out,” Čobo told CIN.
The decision of the Cantonal Court in Mostar is final, and cannot be appealed. The decision permitting the mining operations has been annulled, and the case has been sent back to the FBiH Ministry of Energy, Mining, and Industry for reconsideration.
