The fertile Zeta plain near the Montenegrin capital has been the scene of disagreements between authorities, activists, and locals for months.
The plan of the authorities in Podgorica to solve the issue of wastewater by building a collector in a neighboring municipality - which for years has been flowing from the sewers, mostly untreated, into the Morača River, and then further into Skadar Lake - has met with strong opposition from some Zeća residents.
Although authorities say that this project, funded by the European Union, preserves nature and the health of the population, the locals' biggest fear is that outdated technology will endanger their lives.
At the site where the plant is planned to be built, in the industrial zone of the former Aluminum Plant (KAP) in the Zeta town of Botun, an olive-colored tent has been erected with a poster: "Plant, waste, collector and there will be no room for us. We don't want a collector."
Aleksandar Stanić, a resident of Botunja, is outraged at "everyone in the armchairs," who, he says, have now turned their backs on them.
"Zeta is united and we will defend it together, let the municipality of Podgorica build on its territory, it won't be possible here."
"Look at this plain and its beauty. Should we have a collector here? It won't work," Stanić tells BBC Serbian.
This area has already experienced pollution problems.
Although KAP has been out of operation for two decades, the red mud basins that remained after alumina production continue to cause anxiety among locals, causing many to move out of the area, Podgorica newspapers wrote. News.
In Zeta, a municipality that became independent in 2022 and home to Montenegro's main airport, a local referendum has been announced for December 14th regarding the sewer system.
It was the subject of debate in the Montenegrin parliament, at protests, and there was speculation that it could threaten the government, as one of the most vocal opponents of the collector is MP ruling coalitions Milan Knezevic.
The leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP) warns that with construction, Botun could become Montenegrin "Chernobyl", which the authorities deny.
Claims that the Botun wastewater treatment plant is a threat to public health or is based on outdated technology are completely unfounded, say the EU Delegation to Montenegro for Vijesti.
Political actors use this issue to position themselves within the government, but also in relation to the opposition, says political scientist Nikoleta Đukanović from the University of Donja Gorica.
"The collector has become the number one political issue because of the way the process has been conducted - the lack of transparency and trust, but also the fact that local infrastructure projects easily turn into wider political conflicts," she tells the BBC.
Montenegro faces regular elections in 2027, and the government formed then could bring the country into the EU.
Meanwhile, Drago Klikovac from the village of Ljajkovići has been on duty with the Botunjans for days, waiting for the referendum that, he hopes, will give the final say on the construction.
"It would be the biggest disaster if we allowed the construction of the collector."
"Not only that, but the incinerator planned within the KAP complex will release hazardous substances into the atmosphere and will be felt at least 55 kilometers away," says Klikovac, requesting the plant be moved.
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What do the politicians say?
A sewage collector with a fecal sludge incinerator is not purification, it is the burning of poisons and carcinogenic substances, Knežević said in the parliament, expressing suspicion that these are corrupt projects, the kind that would be closed in Europe.
Knežević's party colleague is the President of the Municipality of Zeta, Mihailo Asanović, who emphasizes that he will not allow the construction of a collector on their territory for the needs of Podgorica and that is why the vote is being held.
"With this referendum, we wanted to show both the city and state authorities, non-governmental organizations, and European officials that we are going in the most democratic way for citizens to decide in a referendum."
He says he will respect the decision, whatever it may be.
More than 12.000 people have the right to vote.
"We have no insight into the contracts, we don't have the project, and they want to build the facility on our territory, and no one is saying who would manage the facility," Asanović told the BBC.
However, the referendum is not binding, and the construction of the treatment plant is "the priority of all priorities," said Saša Mujović, mayor of Podgorica.
"The project envisages a modern and safe facility, fully compliant with European standards," the EU Delegation said.
"Thousands of such facilities operate successfully across the EU and beyond, improving environmental protection and safeguarding community health."
EU taxpayers have provided €33 million in grants for this project, helping Montenegro meet its obligations under Negotiation Chapter 27, they added.
The real ecological threat in Zeta is the red mud pool, they note, and they fully support citizens' demands for an urgent solution.
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Water purification is "unfortunately being politicized," the Prime Minister said. Milojko Spajic.
"We are talking about the health of our citizens, while today feces and heavy metals from the capital's sewage pipes are flowing into the Morača River, and then into Lake Skadar."
"That is why, in partnership with the World Bank, we will also implement a red mud basin rehabilitation project that will permanently change the lives of people in that region."
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović also joined the debate, pointing out that Knežević's list has 13 MPs in the parliament and that it "fully controls the actions of the Government."
"The construction of the collector in Botun depends on them."
"If Milan Knežević is truly against the construction of the collector in Botun, why doesn't he use that power of his? Let him answer the people of Botun why, instead of the pathetic speeches he makes every day, he doesn't do something within the institutions he controls?" he asked. Milatović on Iks.
The government, which Knežević's party supports, has adopted a spatial plan that envisages the construction of a collector, he adds.
"Milan is just an average actor in the play 'Milan hasn't left the government yet, and we don't know where he'll go,'" Milatović said, alluding to the once popular Montenegrin television series "Djekna hasn't died yet, and we don't know when she will.".
Experience so far has shown that all of this could be a "big farce and game" by politicians, says Associate Professor Đukanović.
However, cracks are becoming increasingly visible within the pro-Serbian bloc in Montenegro, which, along with Knežević, is led by Andrija Mandić, the Speaker of the Montenegrin Parliament.
"On the issue of collectors, Knežević remained in the minority, because his party was inconsistent."
"In one way, they voted in the local parliament when the spatial plan was adopted, and in another way, they influence citizens not to approve the project," says Đukanović.
Of the 13 MPs in their coalition, four are from Knežević's party and nine are from Mandić's.
Since Milojko Spajić's government is supported by 52 out of 81 MPs, it would only be threatened if the entire pro-Serb bloc decides to leave power.
This is unlikely given the number of ministerial positions and the number of director positions "in depth" they received, the analyst estimates.
Why is the collector important?
Every month, about one million cubic meters of wastewater flows from the public sewage system in Podgorica, according to data from the Podgorica Water Supply and Sewage Company.
"Of that amount, only about 40 percent is currently purified, the rest - about 600.000 cubic meters of wastewater ends up directly in the Morača River, without prior treatment."
"That's why the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant is essential - for the health of citizens, environmental protection and river conservation," they posted on Facebook.
Multi-phase project, which includes a sewage sludge incineration plant, has received approval from the competent institutions - the Environmental Protection Agency and the ministry.
The project leaders are the Government of Montenegro, The capital is Podgorica with loans from the German Development Bank and grants from the European Union.
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The existing wastewater treatment plant in Podgorica, built more than 50 years ago, was designed for around 50.000 residents, and today the needs are at least four times greater - an additional 150.000 residents, explains Aleksandar Dragićević, an environmental activist.
This causes serious pollution, he said in a written response to the BBC.
"In addition to fecal matter, wastewater contains heavy metals and numerous dangerous chemical compounds that threaten the ecosystem, the health of citizens, and surrounding settlements."
"Harmful substances end up in groundwater and wells, and these waters are later used to irrigate large agricultural areas."
"Fish from the Morača and Lake Skadar are becoming unsafe for consumption precisely because of the accumulation of mercury and other hazardous substances," Dragićević notes.
That's why this is the most important environmental project in the country, he says.
Botun, he believes, was not chosen by chance, because a complete collector system, in which tens of millions of euros have been invested, is already directed to that location.
If the location were to change, Montenegro would risk losing more than the already approved one hundred million euros.
"In addition, we would have to go through the entire procedure again: new planning documents, conceptual designs, projects, studies, public hearings."
"That would set us back at least seven to eight years, during which all wastewater would still end up in Morača and Lake Skadar, which is unacceptable and represents an ecological disaster," says Dragićević.
"Unfortunately, some residents of Botun have been exposed to misinformation and unfounded fears raised by political actors, presenting the facility as a threat."
"A wastewater treatment plant is not a polluter - its essential function is precisely environmental protection," the environmental activist points out.
What could be the political consequences of the collector case?
Since it is non-binding, the referendum can be interpreted as a kind of game with citizens, Djukanovic points out.
"The residents of Botuni are against it, but Zeta, as a former municipality of Podgorica, is incomparably larger and it does not mean that the others will be against it, because they are not protesting and the issue does not affect them too much."
"It is interesting that they are deciding on a project in the territory of the capital, formally and legally another municipality, even though the demarcation has not yet been completed."
Because of all this, she is confident that there will be collectors, and that, regardless of the disagreements, a political solution will be found.
"The interest is too great to jeopardize that."
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