The main conclusion of the UNESCO mission (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), which visited the highway construction site at the end of last year, is that the construction of bridges over as well as the exploitation and disposal of gravel and sand seriously devastated the bed of the Tara River within the area protected by the UNESCO program "Man and biosphere", it was announced today from the non-governmental organization (NGO) the Network for the Affirmation of the Non-Governmental Sector (MANS).
MANS added that this assessment by UNESCO comes after both the European Commission and the European Parliament in their reports for Montenegro recognized the disastrous impact of the construction of the Bar-Boljare highway on the Tara River and demanded the immediate implementation of measures to rehabilitate the devastation.
"The UNESCO report states that the monitoring of compliance with environmental and biological standards during the construction of the highway is not adequate, that it does not meet all the necessary parameters, especially in the part where the monitoring results with instructions for the necessary improvements are not immediately communicated to the contractor and supervisors authorities, which would avoid the negative impact of highway construction on the river. What was witnessed by the recordings made by the MANS research center back in October last year, is now confirmed by UNESCO's findings. The mission registered the existence of several landfills, sand dumps and gravel in the flood area, but also in the bed of the Tara River itself. UNESCO warns that "although these problems can be addressed after the completion of the highway, it is clear that there will be visible impacts even after the completion of the construction", MANS said.
The NGO stated that as the main negative impact of the construction, UNESCO recognizes the fact that the toll ramps and on/off highways on Mateševo were planned and built in the so-called flood area, which results in the destruction of the flood character of the river.
"As stated, this property of the river is crucial for maintaining the ecological value of Tara, together with biodiversity, especially the fish fauna. If it were not built in this area, there would be no need for regulation, and the impact on the ecology of the river would be smaller, the report states. In its recommendations, the Mission suggests that an urgent assessment be made and the impact of highway construction on the downstream area of the Tara River be closely monitored, and that UNESCO be regularly informed about it. UNESCO's recommendation is to amend the existing Strategic Assessment to include all potential impacts that the works have on the downstream areas, as well as to develop a rigorous Environmental Management Plan that will mitigate all negative impacts," said MANS.
MANS states that, in cooperation with environmental organizations, it has been appealing to the relevant Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism for months to stop ignoring the problem that exists on the Tara River, which is a direct consequence of the construction of the priority section of the Bar-Boljare highway.
"Although more than half a year has passed since the first footage of the devastation and the filing of the criminal complaint, no one has been held accountable for what has been recognized by all relevant international addresses as an obvious violation not only of domestic regulations, but also of international obligations to protect the Tara River. The data and whether and to what extent the Chinese company CRBC was responsible are not known, because the state declared them a business secret, and judging by what is publicly available, the relevant minister Pavle Radulović did nothing to respect the recommendations of international institutions and mitigate the consequences Unfortunately, with such behavior, Minister Radulović is sending a direct message to contractors and subcontractors, a public message that devastation will not be punished, that profit is above environmental protection, and above all that his role in the complete project is to protect theirs, not public interest," said MANS.
MANS says that, in cooperation with environmental NGOs, it will continue to insist on the transparency of the entire project, but also that after determining the level of devastation, measures for its remediation and punishment will be imposed on all those responsible for the months-long devastation of the Tara River.
The full UNESCO Report is available HERE>>>
Bonus video:
