The regional authorities will file a lawsuit against the Czech Mining Authority’s decision on the Uherský Ostroh mining area. Photo credit: JMK
Brno, 21 Aug (BD) – On 10 August, the South Moravia Regional Council approved the launch of a lawsuit against the decision of the Czech Mining Authority (ČBÚ), which amended the decision of the South Moravian Regional Mining Office (OBÚ) over the Uherský Ostroh mining area.
The Region disagrees with the decision of ČBÚ because the gravel mining project in Uherský Ostroh will affect the environment of the nearby Bzenec-complex water source.
The protection of the water source in the vicinity of Uherské Ostroh is a top priority for the South Moravian Region because it is one of the largest water sources in the Czech Republic, supplying approximately 140,000 local inhabitants. If designated as a mining area, this would be a very invasive disruption for the area, where the decision of the ČBÚ and OBÚ already implies the possibility of using the site for mining where there is a real threat of irreversible damage or endangering the water source.
“In the current situation, where the importance of any existing resource increases due to water scarcity, it is impossible to ignore justified concerns and objections due to private interest in mining,” said Lukáš Dubec, Deputy Governor for the Environment, who is authorised to act on behalf of South Moravia in the court proceedings. “The Southern Moravia Region does not agree with the grounds of the decision of the appeal authority and considers it insufficient. In the appeal proceedings, the appeal authority favoured gravel extraction, which is clearly an individual commercial interest. Our priority is the protection of water resources for the inhabitants of South Moravia.”
