Romani Families Remain in Toxic Area in Kosovo

22 July 2005

According to ERRC field research, no action has yet been taken to move any of the one hundred and twelve families living in camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the highly toxic areas of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë and Zvečan/Zveçan.
The camps, built near a toxic waste site in 1999 have resulted in unacceptably high blood lead levels (BLLs) of their occupants. As of May, Kosovo's elected government and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) have appealed for funds to help reconstruct the Roma Mahala in Mitrovica which was one of the largest and oldest Romani neighborhoods in former Yugoslavia and is further away from the toxic waste site. The ERRC, in a letter dated November 26, 2004 has called for the immediate evacuation of all families and the provision of all necessary medical treatment. To date the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo have failed to act. For background information on this case situation please visit ERRC's website at http://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=2184. 

(ERRC)