The Technical Director of "Water and Sewerage" Filip Makrid said that he expects that a new tender for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant will be announced at the end of the year.
"Negotiations with the German KFW bank, which is owned by the Government of that country, are intense, and I expect that all the necessary documentation for that facility, which is extremely important for the city, will be completed in a few months," said Makrid.
He pointed out that they recently received a grant of half a million euros from that bank for the preparation of two studies, i.e. updating the existing ones.
"Construction would cost 35 million euros, because the government has exempted projects of ecological importance from various taxes, and originally it was predicted that 45 million would be needed for that investment," said Makrid.
He said that the location of the future plant is known.
"In other words, it's not Botun, but rather near the Dajbaba settlement. The facility is necessary for the city, because the existing one was built for a much smaller population," said Makrid.
He said that in the meantime, the workers of that company will work on the construction of sewers in the areas of numerous suburban settlements.
"So that when the new plant is built, the processing process will start immediately," Makrid said.
He said that a study should be done for burning sludge, which would produce electricity.
Makrid said that a study will be done on the impact on the environment, as well as that the construction of the plant will probably lead to a change in the price list of services.
"An analysis will be made, how much it will cost to treat wastewater. I'm not saying that water will become more expensive and I don't want a scenario like in Budva where citizens pay large amounts, we have to think about that economic side as well. But I think that the price of sewage treatment, which is low now, should be increased," Makrid said.
The city has been facing the problem of wastewater treatment for years. The existing collector, built in the seventies of the last century, cannot meet the city's needs, so a large part of the polluted water ends up in Morača.
The collector near the Clinical Center, built 36 years ago, was designed for 55.000 inhabitants, and official data from the 2011 census indicate that over 187 inhabitants live in Podgorica.
The fact that a large part of the polluted water ends up in Morača seriously endangers the environment and citizens, and the unbearable smell, especially in summer, bothers the residents whose houses and apartments are located near the collector.
The construction of a new collector is just one of the unfulfilled pre-election promises, and the construction tender was announced at the end of December 2013, but was unsuccessful.
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