The President of the Board of Directors of the Regional Waterworks of the Montenegrin Coast, Zoran Lakušić, said that an end must be put to the destruction of the Morača River and the Boljesestra water source.
He called on the authorities to take immediate measures to remove the mechanization and separations, and completely "lock down" all activities in the river bed.
"Individual companies are still doing their own thing and do not expect that things will change and that the exploitation of gravel will stop completely. Under the pretext of regulation, for the last fifteen years, gravel from the Morača River was not carried by torrents, but by excavators in murky jobs through which individuals and construction companies companies got rich, and society, in addition to immeasurable environmental damage, also suffered economic damage in the millions. Behind this ecological disaster, there are the interests of privileged circles who, unwillingly exploiting natural wealth, goods of general interest, earned millions. And the state and local self-governments were left with crumbs", said Lakušić on Facebook.
He reminds that, back in 2014, at the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Finance and Budget, all members agreed that the entire area of concessions is unregulated and that the damage to the state budget is more than 10 million euros.
"In the last year of legal exploitation of gravel and sand - 2016, based on the concession fee, the state's income was only 25.217 euros and 76 cents. Although everyone in Montenegro knows that the main cause of the decline in the yield of the Boljesestra spring is the decrease in the level of underground water in the hinterland of the spring, which was caused by the excessive exploitation of gravel and sand in the Morača riverbed," adds Lakušić.
According to him, individuals continue with illegal activities, while on the other hand, the Government and the Regional Waterworks have to allocate millions of euros for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Boljesestra water source due to such activities.
"Despite the measures taken and the courageous and uncompromising actions of Prime Minister Dritan Abazović and the Government as a whole in the field of preventing illegal exploitation of sand and gravel in the Morača riverbed, by implementing a moratorium and thereby stopping the devastation of the Boljesestra water source, individuals dared to continue illegal gravel extraction and sand. With the ban on the exploitation of gravel and sand, the situation has improved and the recovery of the Boljesestra spring has begun, but excavators are still extracting gravel and sand, which is why the rampage of illegal exploiters is not in sight. Until the mechanization and separations from the Second Sanitary Protection Zone are removed , in which any kind of economic activity and depositing of materials is prohibited," says the president of the board of the Regional Water Supply
When it comes to the protection of the environment and water resources, he points out, the protection of the Boljesestra spring, which since 2017 has been on the UNESCO map of the 150 most important karst springs, is of undoubted importance.
"If anything we have in Montenegro, we have stones and sand, so it is more than unconscionable that activities on the illegal exploitation of sand in the bed of the Morača river endanger the drinking water supply of municipalities on the Montenegrin coast. In this way, we are endangering our most important economic activity and about 25 percent of GDP -a. The Morača River with its riverbed is an ecosystem for which, for its natural and normal functioning, it is best for humans to leave it completely alone, to function healthily, as it did for thousands of years until we decided to interfere in its 'business,'" adds Lakušić.
He says that the destruction of the Morača River and the Boljesestra water source must finally be put to an end.
"Institutions responsible for the protection and control of water resources, i.e. monitoring and control, and sanctioning activities that threaten the Boljesestra water source, should take decisive measures to remove mechanization and separations and completely 'lock' all activities in the Morača river bed." emphasizes Lakušić.
That is why, as he said, appropriate activity of the prosecution and judicial authorities is needed in the form of initiating proceedings, which must end with court verdicts and confiscation of property.
"Until now, the regional water supply has been committed to the concept of institutional partnership to solve the rehabilitation of the Morača river bed in a comprehensive manner with the participation of the profession, in order to preserve our source Boljesestra", he concludes.
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