Nato Airport Cerklje – The modernization of airport is unacceptable for the environmentalists

(original article on Delo.Si)
Nato Airport Cerklje

The modernization of airport is unacceptable for the environmentalists

Lipi?: For the military airport Cerklje the same standards of law ought to be appliead as for the civil airports

Thursday 17.5. 2005 published on Delo.si 

Krško, Slovenia – The Uniited association of   environmental movements and Civic Initiative DLN Cerklje with participation of doctor Andrea Licata, the director of Peace studies Institut in Trieste are concerned about the enviromental impacts of planned renovation of military airport Cerklje.

The area around the military airport

The environmentalists have already protested in the past against the project, presented in the document called State Location plan for the Airport Cerklje near the Krka (river).

This time again they pointed out that noise remains the most pressing problem. President of The United Association Karel Lipi? stressed that because of continuous landings and lift-offs of military jets, there will be significant increase of noise, remainded Lipi?. The inhabitants of Brežice have already protested against the noise polution in the time when still the ex-Yugoslav federal army used this airpoirt.  

 »The inhabitants of Aviano have to change the roofs in two years time«  

Doctor Andrea Licata explained that the inhabitans, who live near the military installation of Nato pact in north-east Italy city of Aviano have to change their roofs due to magnitude of   vibrations during every two year period. »Nobody has ever mentioned this aspect in Slovenia«, warned Karel Lipi? and added that additional noise polution is in complete contrast with the guidelines of National program for the safety of environment. Lipi? stressed that the same standards in laws that in civil air traffic ought to be respected by the military airports.

Emissions of military planes will be released in the environment of Brežice

The particluar problem of its kind when dealing with the global environmental changes from the beginings of formal recognition of Kyoto agreement present the awareness about the release of emissions from the military jets into the air.  

More than one thirds of environmental polution is carried out by the air traffic in which the military air aviation obivously has its share of polution, although this aspect remains thoroughly neglected publicly. Licata also presented the data for emissions in Aviano and told that Italians carefully pay attention to the numbers exactly because of the large extent of   polution made by the military planes in mentioned region.

Modernization of airport does not consider the grundwater stream

The third environmental concern that modernization of airport Cerklje does not take into account, is connected with the polution of groundwater. It is very well known fact that air bases need for their operations large quantities of water. Water is used also for the purposes of washing the airplanes. Involved in storages are also special kind of chemicals. Licata told that under the airport of Aviano a lot of groundwater is also highly poluted.

We can expect all these phenomenons to occur also in the airbase of Cerklje. The airport should pay attention to the necessary illumintation of runways, which of course will have again certain impact on the lives of animals and the vegetation that inhabitate the   surroundings of the base.

Mainteinance of safety standards during construction of second nuclear block

It is the sefety question that is the last burning aspect to reconsider if the airport becomes the target of the attack during the tensions of superpowers. (Lipi? mentioned the Putins threats to The Czech Republic and Poland with the attack on the antirocket systems that USA want to install in these countries )

The construction of second nuclear block and the maintainance area for nuclear wastes are mentioned in the plans of airport. What appears to be unprecedented is that world does not know the solution how to store the highly nuclear wastes. The nuclear plant with its yet not constructed, but planned second nuclear block will remain with its nuclear wastes. » How appropriate to destroy the nuclear plant, because by this you can destroy all the country of Slovenia«, added the president of the united association of environmental movements Karl Lipi?.

Medard Kržišnik