The director of the Agency for Environmental Protection, Daliborka Pejović, said that the environment is collateral damage of badly placed sustainable development in Montenegro.
Although she assessed that the state of the environment is satisfactory, she warned at the presentation of the Report on the State of the Sector for last year that there are "problems that have not been adequately answered for years".
"Regarding land, as well as water, air and almost all segments of the environment, problems exist where there are large industrial systems that have not solved their environmental problems, and where there are huge amounts of waste," said Pejović, stating that are still a big problem with the amount of waste that is located in regulated landfills or landfills almost throughout the territory of Montenegro.
"Even though we passed the Law on Waste Management last year, we must already state that there will be nothing from its application, or it will only be in some segments. This will be one of the key challenges when it comes to Montenegro", concluded the director of the Agency.
In relation to land, as well as water, air and almost all segments of the environment, problems exist where there are large industrial systems that have not solved their environmental problems, and where there are huge amounts of waste.
"When it comes to biodiversity, there have been problems of fires and floods for years, which take away enormous natural wealth. We are not sure that we have created adequate measures and mechanisms to prevent and disable further degradation of the natural environment," she said.
Pejović said that communal infrastructure is also problematic, as well as excessive urbanization, especially on the coast, which seriously threatens the ecosystem.
"For years, no systemic solution has been found for the illegal exploitation of mineral resources in Montenegro, as well as illegal hunting and fishing. These are problems that cannot be solved only in the environment sector," warned Pejović.
Solving environmental problems is further complicated by decentralization in decision-making, which is why, as she said, not a single problem can be solved.
"We were very democratic as a system, and we gave local governments a lot of powers and mechanisms to solve problems, and I don't think the results should be commented too much and are visible to everyone," she said, citing the example of Slovenia, which completely centralized all jobs in the field of urban planning, environmental protection and communal development.
Director of the Institute of Marine Biology, Aleksandar Joksimović, said that the state of the marine ecosystem is generally good, and that there are no major problems.
"Of course, the sanitary aspect of the sea in the summer months is still a problem, where I am primarily thinking of the Bay of Boka Kotor, which is still burdened by sewage discharges," he said, stating that it is positive that a sewage system is being built that will one day cover the entire bay. .
Tighten the penal policy
Pejović said that she was surprised by the lack of a sense of responsibility for complying with regulations to the end. "I am terribly sorry that not all possible measures were taken against someone who threw waste on the street in Podgorica.
This sent a message that today anyone can do it and go unpunished," she said. Pejović emphasized that adequate effects can only be achieved through punishment.
"This is for the reason of appeasing those who think they have the right to do that, and warning those who accept it as a rule of conduct," she said.
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