After the Kosovo* Conflict the Joint UNEP/UNCHS (Habitat) Balkans Task Force (BTF) was charged with the task of urgently carrying out a detailed assessment of the environmental and human settlements impact of the conflict. This assessment focused on the consequences of the conflict on the Danube river, biodiversity in protected areas, human settlements and the environment, as well as the environmental consequences of air strikes on industrial sites. The findings indicate that the Kosovo* conflict has not caused an environmental catastrophe affecting the Balkans region as a whole. Nevertheless, pollution detected at some sites is serious and poses a threat to human health. The task force was able to identify environmental ‘hot spots’, namely in Pancevo, Kragujeva, Novi Sad and Bor, where immediate action and also further monitoring and analyses will be necessary. At all of these sites, environmental contamination due to the consequences of the Kosovo* conflict was identified. Part of the contamination identified at some sites clearly pre-dates the Kosovo* conflict, and there is evidence of long-term deficiencies in the treatment and storage of hazardous waste. The Balkans Task Force recommends immediate decontamination and restoration of these sites.
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Resolution 1244 (1999)
