It is not possible to protect the Velika Skela plateau under the Old Town in Ulcinj from the impact of large waves with an underwater pier, because such piers do not exist, and the idea of greening that area with low indigenous plants is meaningless.
This was announced to "Vijesta" by a distinguished expert in hydraulics, hydrology and coastal processes, Prof. Ph.D Sava Petković from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Belgrade, reacting to the views of the Public Enterprise for the Management of Marine Assets published in the text entitled "An underwater spar will protect the scaffolding from waves" on February 4 of this year.
In response to the questions of "Vijesti", the Public Enterprise for the Management of Marine Assets, among other things, announced that "the protection of the Great Pier from the impact of waves will be implemented by the construction of an underwater pier". They also explained "that the II phase of paving is in progress, after which it is planned through the Plan for the use of financial resources for the year 2024, that the foundations of the Great Scaffolding will be rehabilitated once the urban planning and technical conditions have been obtained and the technical documentation has been prepared"...
Petković, who is reputed to be an excellent connoisseur of Montenegrin conditions, and especially of the Ulcinj coastal area, recalled that the project of ground floor decoration of the Great Scaffold was originally sent back for revision because protection against the effects of high waves was not foreseen.
"In fact, all residents of Ulcinj are very well aware that during the action of waves of higher heights, the entire surface of the concrete plateau of the Great Scaffold is covered with water, as a result of the waves overflowing. Only the planners were not aware of this... It is astonishing that the planners did not ask the locals or at least look at the existing photo documentation on the Internet," said Petković, who also provided "Vijesta" with photos showing the impact of large waves on the vertical wall of the concrete block. the Great Scaffold plateau.
He warned that Morsko dobro promises wave protection by building underwater piers, instead of the project "being refined with the appropriate project documentation on the anticipated wave protection".
"First of all, there are no underwater napiers, their crown elevation is always above sea level. In addition, piers are objects that extend perpendicularly to the direction of the coast and have no influence on the reduction of wave heights. The reduction of wave heights could be achieved by building an underwater sill, which would extend parallel to the vertical wall of the Great Scaffolding," claims Petković.
He also says that this solution is questionable, since it would prevent the docking of vessels next to the Pier.
"For the underwater sill to be effective, its elevation should be about one to two meters below sea level. But in that case, the docking of ships, yachts and larger tourist vessels would be completely prevented. Bearing in mind that the depths of the sea in front of the Skela are great, the cost of building a breakwater would also be extremely high," points out Petković.
The entire project for the arrangement of the Great Scaffold, he assessed, boils down to beautifying the appearance of the existing concrete plateau.
"Whether the surface layer of printed concrete and stone will resist the effect of waves is completely uncertain. And the story about the formation of a green belt, from low autochthonous vegetation, is meaningless. "There is no such plant that will manage to survive occasional flooding with salt water," said Petković.
He also assessed that it would be more logical to redirect the funds for the "beautification" of the Great Pier to the completion of the revitalization of the underwater sewage outlet on Cape Đerana.
Work on the ground floor arrangement of the Great Scaffold began in October 2022, and the deadline for the realization of the project, worth a total of about one million euros, was 120 days. The Municipality then announced that the project would be completed by the beginning of last season, but that deadline was also missed.
President of the Municipality of Ulcinj Omer Bajraktari he said that in the conversation with the representatives of the Sea Dobr, he will insist that the complete project be implemented by the beginning of this season.
During the action of waves arriving perpendicularly (directly) to a vertical wall, the so-called 'superposition' of waves occurs, where the waves in the zone of the vertical wall can reach twice the value of the incoming waves. So, if waves of 1,5 meters height come directly to Velika Skela, the height of waves on Velika Skela can reach about 3 meters. And the elevation of the plateau on Velika Skela is only 2 meters above sea level. In other words, even waves over 1,5 meters high are sufficient to flood the Velika Skela plateau
Bonus video:
