Vukićevica

Vukićevica (Serbian: Вукићевица) is a village located in the municipality of Obrenovac, Belgrade, Serbia. As of 2011 census, it has a population of 584 inhabitants.

Vukićevica
Village
Coordinates: 44.5617°N 20.0417°E / 44.5617; 20.0417
Country	Serbia
Municipality	Obrenovac
Area [1]
• Total	9.93 km^2 (3.83 sq mi)
Elevation	118 m (387 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	584
• Density	59/km^2 (150/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Jasenje Neolithic site

In the locality of Jasenje, the remains of Neolithic site were explored in 1967 by Jovan Todorović, a curator of the Belgrade City Museum.[2]

2018 toxic waste incident

Vukićevica made nationwide headlines in December 2017 when 22 to 25 tons of waste were found in the village, buried into the ground on the lot of the local entrepreneur Zoran Marković. Waste was packed in 89 tin barrels. Several days later, on a different lot, but also owned by the Marković family, additional 60 barrels and five plastic containers were discovered, being partially dug and scattered around. On the same day, in the village of Veliko Polje, west of Vukićevica, but also in the Obrenovac municipality, 18 tons of waste in 100 tin barrels were discovered in a warehouse. Environment minister Goran Trivan stated that the waste is extremely toxic and cancerous. The waste mostly consisted of industrial waste oil, remnants of the automobile tires and machine oils ("dirty" mazut). It contained benzole, benzene, trichloroethylene and toluene. Waste from the second find also contained cyclohexane and oleamide. Marković was arrested.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

In February 2018 additional barrels, dug into the ground next to the village road, were discovered. At first there were 15 barrels, but later only in one day 28 barrels with 200 l (44 imp gal; 53 US gal) each, were taken from the ground and the digging continued. The lot belongs to father of the already arrested Marković. Minister Trivan invited citizens to report any information on similar locations throughout Serbia, as in the meantime, a hidden toxic waste was also discovered in town of Novi Sad. He asserted that probably an organized group is behind this, mixing the waste to make tracing of its origin difficult, and burying it all over the state. Experts confirmed that the waste is industrial, not originating in smaller, individual companies. On the third location the waste consisted of oils, lubricants, oily emulsions and coating and protective emulsifiers. None of the waste was radioactive. In 2018, Serbia still has no facilities for the treatment of the toxic waste.[3][9] Additionally, two dozens of yellowish slabs, resembling the PU foam and mostly being polyurethane adhesives, were discovered in the neighboring field.[10] In time, number of barrels on this second location grew to over 100, with over 40 tons of waste. This barrels were crushed and flattened into the ground, as if they were leveled with the road roller. In the process some of them cracked and the content leaked into the ground.[11]

On 30 May 2018 it was announced that additional 60 tons of toxic waste were found in the village.[12] The village earned a moniker "the best known village in Serbia by notoriety".[13] In October 2018, Marković was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and fined 600.000 dinars (5.000 €), while on of his cousins was also found guilty.[14]

References

1. "Насеља општине Обреновац" (pdf). stat.gov.rs (in Serbian). Statistical Office of Serbia. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
2. Adam N. Crnobrnja (2009). Неолитско насеље на Црквинама у Стублинама [Neolithic settlement at Crkvine in Stubline]. Belgrade City Museum. ISBN 978-86-80619-53-8.}
3. Branka Vasiljević (3 February 2018). "U Vukićevici ponovo nađen sumnjivi otpad" [uspicious waste found again in Vukićevica]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 12.
4. E.V.N. (28 December 2017). "Kancerogeni otpad krio kraj bunara" [Cancerous waste was hidden next to the water well]. Večernje Novosti (in Serbian).
5. Tanjug (29 December 2017). "Trivan: Otpad pronađen u Obrenovcu toksičan i kancerogen" [Trivan: Waste found in Obrenovac is toxic and cancerous]. Radio Television Serbia (in Serbian).
6. Beta (29 December 2017). "Otpad pronađen kod Obrenovca kancerogen i opasan" [Waste found near Obrenovac is cancerous and dangerous] (in Serbian). N1.
7. Branka Vasiljević (28 December 2017). "Tone opasnih materija bile zakopane u obrenovačkom selu" [Tons of dangerous materials were dug in the village near Obrenovac]. Politika (in Serbian).
8. Beta (19 January 2018). "I otpad sa druge lokacije kod Obrenovca opasan" [Waste from the second location also dangerous] (in Serbian). N1.
9. Ksenija Pavkov (2 February 2018). "U Obrenovcu iskopano još opasnog otpada" [More dangerous waste dug out in Obrenovac] (in Serbian). N1.
10. B.Jakšić, B.Vasiljević (7 February 2018). "Njivu u Vukićevici preplavio opasan otpad" [Vukićevica field soaked in dangerous waste]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 15.
11. B.Jakšić, B.Vasiljević (14 February 2018). "Na novoj lokaciji u Vukićevici još 40 tona opasnog otpada" [Additional 40 tons of dangerous waste on new location in Vukićevica]. Politika (in Serbian). pp. 01 & 15.
12. Branka Vasiljević (30 May 2018). "U Vukićevici otkriveno još opasnog otpada" [More dangerous waste found in Vukićevica]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 15.
13. Milan Janković (4 June 2018). "Od jedan do pet - Otrovana zemlja" [One to five - Poisoned ground]. Politika (in Serbian).
14. Branka Vasiljević (16 October 2018). "Потврђене пресуде за недозвољено складиштење опасног отпада" [Verdicts for the illegal storing of dangerous waste confirmed]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 14.