The season at Krupac, the famous "Nikšić sea", has not yet taken off, and bathers have already run out of water. The beach has never been wider, but also emptier, the bottom of the lake is looming, the grass and mud do not look inviting at all.
"I've been coming here for 40 years and I still don't remember the water level being this high. This is shameful - not to let the unfortunate people enjoy themselves. Never fewer visitors, and after a short time people pack up and leave, not in the mood to stay. They step into the water, the fungus is bare, the mud rises," said the sixty-five-year-old Tomislav Svorcan which cannot do without Krupac, but neither can Krupac without him.
It is unthinkable to go to the famous Nikšić picnic spot without finding Tomislav there, swimming, sunbathing, and a little fishing. By all accounts, this year he will only be able to sunbathe.
"I have been fishing for years, and now there is no fish either, it probably ran away to deeper water. But I won't give up on Krupac, let it be a puddle. I learned to bathe here and I like to enjoy it," says Tomislav.
I Ana Petrović Njegoš is related to Krupac. He talks nostalgically about the times when he was looking for an empty place for a towel.
"I have been visiting Krupac since I was seven years old, and since the end of the eighties I have been coming almost every day by bicycle. I remember very well the time when there were several thousand of us on the beach and when we had to arrive by nine in the morning to grab a spot for a towel."
In those years, the beach was full, the lake was full of water, and the most daring people from Nikšić jumped from the Urošević rock. Today, due to the low water level, no one would even try.
"Swimmers made diving boards out of stone, so there were several of them along the beach. Everyone had their own corner of the beach and every year they would instinctively go to 'their' place. This year the situation is catastrophic - they took Krupac's life. Not even the reflection of the water when the sunset from Zla gora has power over it. There is no water for the sun to shine from the surface of the lake", says Ana with sadness in her voice.
Krupac also likes it in the evening, he says, while watching the sunset and listening to the sound of the waves.
"Today, Krupac is at its biological and ecological minimum. The water is two meters below the steps on the dam, the bottom of the lake is visible. Today, only a small number of people from Nikšić, guided by a long-standing habit, go to Kupac. Of course, I'm here almost every day because I love Nikšić Sea, trying to find a moment of rest for myself, which this year is spoiled by mourning for the destroyed lake," says Petrović Njegoš.
Krupac is the first time at this time of the year with such a low water level. According to the words Aleksandar Perović, director of the Ecological Movement "Ozone", the current level in the lake does not give much hope that there will be many bathers during the summer.
"It does not go well with the citizens who use that destination for vacation and recreation. Although it is clear that this artificial reservoir is primarily intended for the needs of HPP 'Perućica', it should be pointed out that after several decades of existence Krupačko Lake must be viewed more complexly, because it has gained ecosystem importance, which is also reflected in the way of management", says Perović.
He points out that, considering the unfavorable meteorological conditions, it was necessary to take care of the dynamics of water discharge from the lake and the maintenance of the water level, which is necessary for the bathing season.
"The tourist summer season in Nikšić is based on the Krupačka lake, which is the most visited location. For years, we have been warning about the need for better management of this resource, which, I repeat, has great ecosystem importance for our city", concluded Perović.
Due to the lack of water, not only Krupac will be left without bathers, but also the surrounding catering establishments without guests.
"I heard that the water level should be reduced even more. I would like it not to be like that and for them to do something about this situation both for us and for the bathers, because Krupac is a trademark of Nikšić. It would be necessary to raise the water level at least this much. They also have swimming schools and I doubt they can do anything this season, and there are also water polo players. In general, the situation in Krupac is bad for everything and I don't hope for anything if Elektroprivreda doesn't do something quickly, because the season has already started," he says. Marko Sekulic, a waiter in a beach bar on Krupac.
EPCG: Power supply has absolute priority
From Elektroprivreda, which manages the Krupac reservoir, they point out that the hydrological situation was not in their favor and that they were forced to balance between providing the necessary amounts of electricity partly from imports and partly from production.
They remind that during the first five months on the territory of the Municipality, 61 percent of the rain fell less than the average amount of precipitation, and that due to bad hydrological conditions during the last year, they started the current one with the level of reservoirs 40.000 megawatt hours lower than planned. TE "Pljevlja" has been offline since April 22 of this year, and the missing quantities are provided from hydro production and imports (at a price of over 200 euros per megawatt hour).
"HP 'Perućica' is at the level of 38 percent of the maximum. Today in Lake Slano we have 37,8 million cubic meters of water, which is 34 percent of the volume, while in Lake Krupac we have 19,7 million cubic meters or 47 percent of the maximum. Krupac was last at its maximum height on March 1 last year. At EPCG, we are aware that our reservoirs are not at an enviable level and that fellow citizens from Nikšić, as well as tourists visiting the city, will be bothered by the fact that the Krupac reservoir is not at the level of previous years, but we must not forget the key fact: the supply of electricity has absolute priority , and we at EPCG are facing for the first time the fact that we are forced to import electricity at prices of over 200 euros continuously", EPCG wrote in its response to "Vijesta".
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