Vuković: In a protected area, we should worry about whether we can bathe or eat food produced in that area

Monitoring of the Zeta River was carried out last year, and it is expected that the data will be submitted in the coming days, said the representative of the Environmental Protection Agency, Kasim Agović.

He is speaking at a seminar to strengthen the capacity of CSOs to monitor public policies, which is being held in Danilovgrad as part of the project "Let's think, act and inspire our environment for sustainable development", which is being implemented by the non-governmental organizations Association for the Promotion of Tourism "Morakovo" from Nikšić and the Democratic European initiatives from Danilovgrad.

Agović pointed out that they expect the monitoring data to be presented to the public by the end of May.

Answering the question of biologist Vuk Iković - whether the Environmental Protection Agency conducts sampling, he explained that it is not within the competence of the Environmental Protection Agency to sample water, but that it is done by the Hydrometeorological Institute.

"Can I swim on each of those beaches and can I buy vegetables from my neighbor, who waters the garden with water from the Zeta river? That's what we citizens of Danilovgrad are interested in," said Iković.

Agović explained to him that this is not within the competence of the Agency, according to the Law on Water and the Law on Environmental Protection.

Answering the question of "Vijesti" - whether and how many times the Agency informed citizens in the previous period that the water in the Zeta River is not suitable for swimming, Agović said that he does not have this information, because it is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.

He said, however, that he will provide all the participants of the meeting, as well as other interested parties, with the information that is in the possession of the Agency.

Before the discussion, the project was presented by coordinator Radmila Bajagić, who spoke about the project, planned activities, expected results...

The executive director of the NGO Green Home, Azra Vuković, explained the importance of "Coalition 27" - an informal network of non-governmental organizations in Montenegro that represents a platform for the joint participation of civil society organizations in the process of adopting European Union standards and values ​​in the field of environmental protection.

"Vuković said that she is surprised by the amount of waste they find in different locations, even on the banks of rivers," said Vuković, adding that the state has transferred the problem of waste to local governments that do not have the capacity to solve it.

She said that they have recorded points that threaten to threaten biodiversity and that they will work on cleaning, in order to prevent waste from being dumped in those locations.

"I have to remind you that the Zeta valley in the lower reaches is a protected area. Listening to Vuk asking if there is water in that part for swimming, I have to conclude that this is absurd, because we should have a healthy environment... A protected area here suffers serious pressures, management has not been established... And the situation on the ground is such that we in a protected area have to worry about whether we can bathe or eat food produced in that area," Vuković said.

The representative of the Ministry of Ecology, Jelena Radević, answered the students attending the workshop that they are ready to respond to their call and hold educational classes in schools.

Agović and Vuković said the same, adding that they will initiate this type of cooperation.

Previously, the students asked if someone, in the Danilovgrad school, could hold a lecture on environmental protection and ecology, in order to bring it closer to a larger number of students.

Participant of the meeting, Srđa Mandić from the "Visit Danilovgrad" association, said that last year they had 11 clean-up actions in the upper reaches of the Zeta River, during which they discovered that the cause of the problem was that the Municipal Corporation did not remove garbage from that part of the city, and that the locals said that they "have been throwing garbage in Zeta since they knew themselves".

Vuković said that this is a very common case in rural areas where people throw garbage wherever they arrive.

Vuković added that they had a situation where utility companies refused to donate containers that would be placed in rural areas, because, as they answered, it was not profitable for them to take away garbage from those locations.