A typical example of beach erosion as a consequence of human activities is the Mogren beach in Budva. This problem has a special weight because the Mogren beach is included in the group of protected nature objects that have been placed under protection. The erosion problem of Mogren Beach is almost exclusively a result of human factors. This is what a well-known expert in hydrology and coastal processes, prof., told "Vijesti". Ph.D Sava Petković from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade.
Petković states that the construction of a one-story catering facility on the second Mogren beach will further affect beach erosion, and that it is only a matter of time before the beach in front of the facility will completely disappear.
Parts of one of the most beautiful Montenegrin beaches, Mogrena II, were once connected, but today they are separated into the southern and northern parts. The width of the beach was reduced by a third, and in some places by half.
According to Petković, significant erosion problems have been observed on some beaches in Montenegro for many years, which are reflected in the reduction of their effective width.
"The instability of the coasts, i.e. the erosion of the coasts and the loss of useful land surface, are influenced by natural and human factors. Natural factors have been present for centuries, so erosion processes cannot be attributed to them alone. It seems that in the last few decades the erosion of coasts and beaches in the world, including in Montenegro, is mainly caused by human factors. "The key human factors that affect the erosion of Montenegrin beaches are the consequences of sudden tourist development, inadequate protective works to protect the wider coastal area from erosion, or the construction of facilities in the sea and on the coast, which are directly exposed to the impact of waves," says Petković.
Consequences of human intervention on the coast
Mogren beach in Budva, he says, is an example of erosion caused by the human factor.
"In the past, Mogren Beach was stable and very spacious. It is obvious that there was a balance between the amount of sediment that was carried into the sea by the waves and the amount of sediment that reached the beach in Mogren from the torrential flow, which flowed into the sea. As a result of the relocation of the mouth of the torrential watercourse, during the construction of the main road, the introduction of sand to the Mogren beach was completely prevented. Since there is no inflow of sand to the shore, and the erosive power of the waves remains, beach erosion was inevitable. The photograph of the Mogren beach from 1935 clearly shows that in the past the southern and northern parts of the beach were connected, that is, that you could cross from one to the other part of the beach by land. "Today, you can't go from one end of the beach to the other without entering the water," said Petković.
As he assessed, it is very indicative that in 1935 there were no buildings on the beach, so even the highest waves, which occur in the winter period, could be amortized before encountering the steep rocky coast in the hinterland of the beach.
"Roughly, it could be estimated that the width of Mogren beach has been reduced by one third in most sections, and in some sections by more than that. The most endangered is the central section, the area of the rocky ridge, which divides Mogren beach into two parts. This is also logical, because waves of great heights, in the winter, break in the area of the rocky ridge and carry sand from the beach in a longitudinal direction, to the north and south," said Petković.
He points out that the appearance of Mogren beach from June of this year indicates that after the construction of the access road and the building on the beach itself, the natural environment has been drastically damaged.
"The construction of a long concrete structure on the beach itself represents the devastation of the beach, the ultimate consequences of which are yet to be seen. The built object already represents a visual pollution of the natural environment on Mogren beach. It should be emphasized that the width of the beach in front of the building will drastically decrease after every storm accompanied by the effect of large waves. Generally speaking, the beginning of the greenery on the coast represents the limit up to which the waves of the highest heights spread in the winter period. With the construction of the concrete facility, the width of the beach in front of the facility was almost halved, which prevented the damping of the waves on the beach itself," emphasized Petković.
This is why, as he adds, in the winter period, high waves will hit the concrete building.
"The enormous energy of the waves will lift the sand from the beach into suspension. A part of the sand will enter through numerous openings into the building itself, while a larger part of the sand will be taken to the sea, to greater depths. It is only a matter of time before the beach in front of the facility will completely disappear. After that, the building itself threatens to be demolished, because then the entire energy of the wave will be amortized on the building itself," claims Petković.
According to him, it is known that about twenty years ago, waves knocked down parts of the coastal walls on the beaches in Petrovac and Sutomor, because the width of the beaches was insufficient to cushion the impact of the waves.
"The question arises as to how the access road and facilities were built on the beach itself, which is a natural heritage. First of all, Mogren beach is included in the group of protected natural objects that have been placed under protection. The request of the Environmental Protection Agency to submit remediation measures within 45 days is tragicomic! Well, huge damage has already been done and nothing can be fixed now. The first measure of remediation should be the determination of responsibility and the punishment of all persons who participated in the process of issuing all the permits on the basis of which the investor started the works. When someone knows that he will be severely punished due to negligence and easy issuance of permits, then he will make decisions with an extremely high dose of caution. It seems that neither the investor, nor the designer, nor JP Morsko dobro and the Agency for the Protection of the Natural Environment were aware of the tragic consequences for the stability of the Mogren beach, which are in the final stages of construction," emphasizes Petković.
Is revitalization even possible?
In the end, said Petković, the question could be raised as to whether revitalization of Mogren beach is possible at all.
"A major limitation is the specific color of the sand on Mogren beach, which excludes the possibility of using river gravel or crushed aggregate from nearby quarries to revitalize the beach. Therefore, revitalization of the beach should only be done with indigenous material, i.e. sand. There are two possibilities - Mogren Beach is a typical example of "pocket" beaches, located in bays between two neighboring capes, which can be clearly seen from the aerial view of the beach. Therefore, the largest part of the sand, which has been eroded from the beach for centuries, remained on the sea floor of the bay. The very light green color of the seabed, shown in the aerial photo, indicates potential locations of deposited sand deposits. Of course, for the revitalization of Mogren beach, with the dredged sand from the bottom of the bay, it is necessary to carry out detailed investigation work. Only after obtaining reliable data on the amount of deposited sand at the bottom of the bay, it is possible to determine whether the beach revitalization project would be feasible. Sediment in the basin and stream bed, above the main road, is transported to the collector for waste and meteoric water at the intersection in Budva. Very often, during heavy rains, a huge amount of sediment clogs all the collectors and spills onto the highway. This is a huge amount of sand, on an annual basis, which could be used to replenish Mogren beach," said Petković.
Two natural monuments are endangered
"Vijesti" announced at the beginning of the week that the Environmental Protection Agency determined that the Hotel Group "Budvanska Riviera" and the company "Gabbiano VS" caused significant devastation of natural values on Mogren II beach and its hinterland, which, as it was said, caused damage which has a significant negative impact on achieving or maintaining a favorable status of species and natural habitats of this area.
The Agency was informed in the decision at the end of March by the environmental inspection about damage to the environment due to actions and activities on the road across the plots located within the boundaries of the protected areas: Nature Monument "Plaža Mogren" and Nature Monument Brdo Topliš (Spas).
"Budvanska riviera" and "Gabbiano" rejected the allegations in their statement to the Agency, pointing out that the workers on the construction of the catering facility used the existing road that was cleared by the Protection and Rescue Service of the Municipality of Budva in 2009 due to large fires and detonations caused by that fire. As they stated in their statement, when using the road, they did not destroy the vegetation, but only the low vegetation that was on the road.
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