Rivers have become garbage dumps, and picnic areas a source of infection

The story of the Nikšić landfills seems to have no end in sight. The beds of many rivers have long been turned into garbage dumps, and certain picnic spots, due to the activity of unscrupulous citizens, have become potential sources of infection. Thus, these days another wild landfill has sprung up under and around the railway bridge, near the Budoš tunnel.

"Here are sad pictures from Nikšić. As we are responsible and educated, we deserve nothing better. Here you went for training and walking, and when summer came, there was a swimming pool and escape from the heat. Cattle were guarded, jokes were made, and today it is a garbage dump and disease", wrote the reader of "Vijesti", who sent the photos.

The president of the Society of Young Environmentalists Nikšić (DMEN), Miodrag Karadžić, believes that when it comes to wild landfills, it is a cultural problem of the community and unscrupulous behavior that has been present in the town under Trebjes for decades.

"Today conscientious and concerned citizens sent photos from that location, tomorrow and the following days they can send from dozens of others that are similar to this one. Simply put, waste is deposited in Nikšić wherever there is a suitable place for vehicle access. And not only municipal waste, but also animal waste is dumped everywhere. The worst thing is that there is no way to put an end to this unconscionable system of delays", said Karadzic.

He reminded that they had recently witnessed the disposal of a large number of dead animals in Studenacki glavici, near the Blace Eco Park, that the first few dead animals were removed "under the patronage of the Municipal Secretariat for Communal Affairs and Traffic, while the rest were still in the same location.

"Despite the public call to the veterinary inspection, no one came to the field or called us to solve the problem. The public was not told what the causes of death were, whether it was poisoning or some kind of infection, and the perpetrators were neither prosecuted nor told. As long as the systemic state is like this and until responsible changes are made at multiple levels and the perpetrators are not punished, we will be met with waste at every step", says Karadzic.

The president of the ecological movement "Ozone" Aleksandar Perović points out that the number of wild landfills in the territory of the municipality of Nikšić is a concern, especially in the context of the possibility of the appearance and spread of infectious diseases to humans and animals.

He recalled that at the beginning of March they visited a significant number of locations that have "chronic problems with illegal disposal of various types of waste, where riverbeds and banks are very common".

"The current situation is catastrophic, which should worry all citizens of Nikšić. If we know that the waste collected from the city is still deposited in the unorganized landfill at the location of Mislov do, where the largest "mountain" of garbage in the country and the region grows every day, we regret to note that in the 21st century we do not have an organized system of proper waste management, which is devastating for the institutions of the system", points out Perović.

According to him, in order to change the situation, it is necessary that the area of ​​waste management be included in the priorities and that it be arranged in the shortest possible time in a way that is sustainable from both the ecological and economic aspects.

"This implies effective and non-selective application of applicable laws, especially punitive measures, both for perpetrators and for those who abuse their official position through negligent work or inaction, which we reasonably suspect is happening," warns Perović.