Podgorica's "Water Supply and Sewerage" responded to the Ministry of Public Works that it cannot issue them with the conditions for connecting the future settlement of Velje Brdo to the water supply and sewage network until detailed geological research of the Mareza zone is completed, research of the Zagorič and Ćemovsko polje springs is completed in order to replenish the water that would go to Velje Brdo, as well as until a new study of water supply and wastewater treatment is conducted, because the existing one does not exist in this settlement. The Water Supply Department also warns that without providing these prerequisites, the city's water supply would be jeopardized, because the project terms of reference foresees 66 thousand new consumers in the new settlement.
On Friday, the Ministry announced a public procurement for the development of a conceptual design for hydrotechnical infrastructure to provide the necessary quantities of water and wastewater for the Velje Brdo residential and business complex. The request was for the design to be completed within 30 days.
The response of "Vodovoda" to the Ministry's request to issue them, as an investor, the connection conditions that would be used for the preparation of technical documentation, was published on the website with a public call as part of the urban planning and technical conditions. The responses of other competent municipal and state institutions are also included.
The Water Administration stated that it is necessary to first request that they prescribe water conditions for the preparation of technical documentation, while as a prerequisite for the start of construction and the first phase of this settlement, they state the completion of the sewage network with connection to the central wastewater treatment plant, where there is no new one and the old one cannot accommodate new users.
The Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System stated that the route of the planned water reservoirs and pumping stations is located within the route of two international transmission lines that run along the slopes of Velje Brdo, below which construction is prohibited, which cannot be relocated, and their temporary disconnection would mean a violation of international interconnection obligations.
Regardless of all the objections and requests to conduct additional analyses, geological surveys, water permits... the Ministry of Public Works is requesting that the author complete the preliminary design within 30 days.
The city doesn't have enough water.
The water utility stated in the letter that they received the Ministry's request for issuing conditions on November 11th, and that they responded to it on November 19th.
"We inform you that we are not able to issue them until the following is completed: detailed hydrogeological surveys of the wider Mareza spring zone of the site in question, with an emphasis on the impact on the Mareza spring; exploratory works on the Zagorič and Ćemovsko polje springs, with the aim of providing additional capacities from well aquifers, which would replace the amount of water that would be distributed from Mareza to the Velje Brdo settlement, without jeopardizing the existing regular water supply of the Capital City; preparation of a new feasibility study for water supply, drainage and wastewater treatment of the Capital City of Podgorica, because the existing one does not consider the development of the city in terms of building a new settlement, in which a large number of residents will be concentrated," the Water Authority's response states.
This municipal company also points out that these three prerequisites were listed as mandatory when issuing approval for the proposal for amendments to the Podgorica Urban Development Plan because "if the Velje Brdo settlement and future reservoirs were connected to the existing pressure pipelines from the Mareza spring without a detailed analysis, there is a possible risk of endangering the entire water supply system in the territory of Podgorica."
Without a new plant, there is no sewer connection
The Water Administration, among other things, states that the source of water supply for the future settlement is Mareza, the main city spring.
"Considering that the water needs of the Capital City of Podgorica are significantly increasing and follow the rapid development of the city, it is necessary to conduct a hydrotechnical study that will define the actual maximum and minimum capacities of water sources, develop the primary water supply network, and build a reservoir for the needs of the complete water supply system of the Capital City," the Administration stated.
They indicate that the planning document plans to establish a sewage system for the drainage of sanitary, fecal and atmospheric waters with clearly defined separation and drainage to the final treatment or discharge point.
"For the purposes of connecting the sewage system of the Velje Brdo settlement, in accordance with the aforementioned planning solution, it is planned to expand the collectors with the working name of channel 5 and channel 6, in order to ensure the unhindered drainage of wastewater from the settlement to the central wastewater treatment plant. The condition for the construction and expansion of the Velje Brdo settlement is the construction and commissioning of the primary fecal sewage network with a connection to the central wastewater treatment plant," the letter states.
The existing sewage treatment plant is already overloaded and some of the wastewater is discharged into the Morača River without treatment. The construction of the new plant has been blocked by protests from some of the residents of the Botun settlement.
CGES: If you do something, we are not responsible
In response to the Ministry's request for an opinion, CGES states that from the received draft urban planning and technical conditions, they "conclude that this is a very complex project" and that part of the planned pumping stations, reservoirs and pipelines are located in the zone of their international transmission lines.
"Two 400kV transmission lines (DV 400ks Podgorica - Tirana and DV 400kV Podgorica - Ribarevine) pass through the area partially designated for the construction of the project in question. The transmission lines are part of a wider international interconnection network and their shutdown in the event of an intervention is very difficult to coordinate with other power systems in the region. A longer period of their power outage would jeopardize the reliability and security of power supply to the central and southern parts of Montenegro and prevent Montenegro from fulfilling its obligations to interconnection partners (neighboring power systems), which would lead to certain problems. The conditions on the ground (spatial and technical) do not allow for any intervention to be carried out to relocate the 400kV transmission lines in question, while they remain as separate facilities (single-system transmission lines)," CGES stated.
At the bottom of the letter, this company emphasizes the note that in the case of the construction of hydrotechnical infrastructure for the Velje Brdo project, safety measures must be adhered to and that they will not bear any responsibility for the consequences.
"Given the fact that the works are partly carried out near the 400kV power lines that are in operation, as well as the fact that the entry and exit of machinery to the construction site is done by passing under the power lines, CGES does not bear any responsibility for the consequences that may arise from the failure of the employed personnel to comply with safety measures when it comes to power lines," CGES stated.
They would also look for water from Dinoša
The project specifications state that this settlement, with three phases of construction, will have 66.407 consumers.
The first phase envisages 12 blocks of construction that will have 17.774 residents, as well as 5.130 employees and 1.903 students.
In the second and third phases, the number of blockades is not specified, but a total of 41.600 residents and employees are listed.
Although the Water Administration stated that before construction begins, it is necessary to build a sewage network and a connection to a wastewater treatment plant, the project terms of reference stipulate that the dynamics of sewage construction follow the construction of the settlement.
The project terms of reference state that there is a limited possibility of water abstraction from Mareza, which is why it is proposed to consider solutions for transporting water from the sources - wells Zagorič, Ćemovsko polje and Dinoša - Vuksanlekići.
The project task itself was prepared by the Ministry of Spatial Planning and signed by Slaven Radunović, but it bears the official seal of the Ministry of Public Works dated December 12th.
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