Executive Director of the Ecological Society "Breznica" Milorad Mitrovic submitted a report to the Directorate for Inspection Affairs due to the re-pollution of the reservoir in Otilovići, which, in addition to the needs of the Thermal Power Plant, is also used for the water supply of Pljevlja.
"The day before yesterday, the water in Lake Otilovići was once again polluted with oil and oil derivatives. We are of the opinion that this is another deliberate and premeditated act, especially since it is being repeated for the third time in the last year. None of the authorities saw fit to inform the citizens about the potential danger to their health. "Yesterday, we submitted a report to the Directorate for Inspection Affairs and individually informed the Water and Environmental Inspectorate about the incident," Mitrović told "Vijesta".
He reminds that water from the reservoir has been used for irrigation for several decades and with an increasing share compared to other sources.
"After such incidents, which have already been repeated several times, the question arises as to who and why is spilling polluting substances into the recipient from which the city is supplied with drinking water, thereby endangering the health and lives of citizens. The unknown is that the citizens and the public still do not have information about whether the police and the Basic State Prosecutor's Office have found the perpetrators of earlier incidents and poisoning of citizens and whether they have prosecuted them," Mitrović said.
A year and a half ago, there was a minor environmental incident at the Otilovići reservoir when a liquid, which was assumed to be oil or motor oil, spilled from one of the supporting barrels of a wooden raft with a house floating in the lake.
The police and the prosecutor's office never announced who the owner of the raft was and whether he had permission to place it on the lake from which the city is supplied with water.
Elektroprivreda is the owner of the dam and has the right to use water from the reservoir for the needs of the thermal power plant, which, as the company points out, covers a hundred meters downstream of the dam.
The sanitary and environmental protection company "Hemosan" from Bar, which specializes in remediation of all types of incidents, both on land and at sea, was involved in eliminating the consequences of the environmental incident.
Mitrović believes that frequent incidents occur because sanitary protection zones prescribed by law have not been established and that SRK "Lipljen" uses the reservoir as fishing water.
"According to the Agreement on the transfer of fish stock for use dated July 20, 7, SRK "Lipljena" was assigned the fish stock in the fishing waters for a period of six years from the date of signing. "According to the Law on Freshwater Fisheries and Aquaculture, fishing water cannot be water in reservoirs, lakes or flowing waters that are used or are provided for in spatial planning documents for public water supply", claims Mitrović.
The construction of a new water treatment plant "Pliješ", according to the Pljeval ecologist, taking into account the importance of public water supply and the current situation with the "raw material", water from the reservoir, must be in accordance with all standards applied in the field of water management, especially in the field of drinking water.
"Given that the right to healthy drinking water is included among basic human rights, everything related to it must be in accordance with good practice and standards," Mitrović believes.
He reminds that a few days ago on the lake in Otilovići, fishermen were filmed catching fish from boats powered by a gasoline engine.
"It is unwise to use water for drinking when it is known that the exhaust of the outboard motor goes into the water. Every type of activity on the lake, from which the city is supplied with water, must be banned as a matter of urgency," Mitrović said.
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