The Montenegrin Littoral Regional Waterworks announced that the Environmental Protection Agency has given approval to the company "Tehnoput" for the construction of an asphalt production plant - an asphalt base in the III sanitary protection zone of the "Boljesestra" source.
They announced that they would initiate "adequate proceedings" with the competent authorities against those who made, as they claim, an illegal decision.
They say that the Agency's decision has been made in addition to the strong opposition of the Regional Water Supply and contrary to the provisions of the decision of the Water Administration on the sanitary protection zones of that source, supported by the "illegal opinion of the Water Administration".
"For years, the Regional Waterworks led and continues to fight for the protection of both the quantity and the quality of the water of the source of 'Bolje Sestre'. The appeals of the Regional Waterworks remained for years without any response from the competent authorities and institutions. This resulted in a drastic drop in the yield of the source of 'Bolje Sestre' , from 2600 l/s to 265 l/s as measured during the summer tourist seasons in 2021 and 2022," the Regional Water Supply announced.
It was considered, as they said, that the Government's decision at the beginning of 2023 to prohibit the exploitation of gravel and sand from the Morača riverbed in the II and III sanitary protection zones of the "Boljeestra" spring has finally put an end to that activity. "Unfortunately, gravel and sand explotrators do not give up easy money, so we are witnessing that this exploitation in the Morača riverbed in the sanitary protection zones of the source of 'Bolje Sestre' is gaining momentum", they add.
They point out that in the past period, permanent activities were conducted to protect the A1 quality of the water of the "Boljeestra" spring, which, they point out, was classified by UNESCO as one of the 150 most important karst springs in the world. "The service for the protection of persons and property visited and continues to visit sanitary protection zones every day in order to prevent the illegal dumping of garbage in the same area. Unfortunately, due to the unscrupulous attitude of citizens and business entities, the Regional Water Supply was forced to organize frequent actions to clean up waste in order to protect the quality of the water of this spring," said the company.
They said that the Regional Waterworks, as the entity responsible for the implementation of the Decision on sanitary protection zones of the "Boljeestra" source, which was adopted by the Water Administration, under number 060/08-02014-249, dated December 12, 2008, strongly opposed and that he opposes the setting up and construction of economic facilities within the said sanitary zones.
They remind that "Tehnoput" has repeatedly, since 2014, turned to the Regional Waterworks for approval of the "Elaborate Environmental Impact Assessment for the Asphalt-Asphalt Base Production Plant".
"Each time, the answer of the Regional Waterworks was: 'In the wider zone of sanitary protection, the construction of industrial and other facilities whose waste water and other substances from the technological production process can pollute surface and underground water is prohibited, except for facilities of special importance for the defense of the country, WE ARE NOT IN POSSIBILITIES TO GIVE CONSENT to the above-submitted documentation - The main project for the construction of the above-mentioned facility," they emphasize in the press release.
Such a position of the Regional Water Supply was, they add, supported by the Board of Directors with its Decision No. 23-3796/5 of August 15, 2023, by which it took an explicit position that "Tehnoput" cannot be allowed to build a plant for the production of asphalt-asphalt base within zone of sanitary protection of the "Boljeestra" spring.
"With this position of the Board of Directors, in letter number 23-3869/1, dated August 21.08.2023, 23, the executive director of the Regional Waterworks informed the Environmental Protection Agency, i.e. its director. The Agency and its individual employees continued to send letters in the hope that the Regional Waterworks will change its mind, so the executive director, in a letter to the Agency, number 3869-3/15.11.2023, dated November XNUMX, XNUMX, reiterated the position of the Regional Waterworks that he cannot give consent to the Elaboration in question", they add.
Despite all of the above, as they said, the Agency insisted that the Regional Water Supply delegate its representative to the Commission for the evaluation of the aforementioned Elaboration. They say that their representative was explicit that the Elaborate in question should not be considered at all because it foresees the construction of a private facility within the sanitary protection zone of the "Boljeestra" source.
"Unfortunately, our representative in the Commission suffered daily mobbing by the employees of the Environmental Protection Agency, about which we informed the Agency's director on several occasions. Despite the constant pressure, our representative is in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors and in accordance with the Decision of the Water Administration on sanitary zones "Bolje Sestre" water source protection firmly maintained the position that the Elaborate in question should not be considered at all because it proposes the construction of a plant within the sanitary zones for the protection of the "Bolje Sestre" water source," notes the Regional Waterworks.
It is especially worrying, as they said, that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Administration, in accordance with their competences, in addition to the Regional Waterworks, are entities that have to protect the source of "Boljeestra", that is, they take care of the implementation of the Decision on Sanitary Protection Zones. "If they don't do that, the Agency, and especially the Water Administration as the decision-maker, how can we expect that from business entities and individuals whose interest is in violation of the provisions of the Decision on sanitary protection zones".
The Regional Waterworks added that it is worrying that the DUP of the Capital City envisages the construction of commercial facilities in the area of the sanitary protection zones of the "Boljeestra" spring, although, as they said, the Capital City was obliged to comply with the aforementioned Decision on Sanitary Protection Zones of the source of "Boljeestra", i.e. that no construction of economic facilities can be foreseen within those zones.
"In accordance with the obligation from the current Decision on sanitary protection zones, the Regional Water Supply hired experts in 2019 for the development of the Main Project on the determination and maintenance of sanitary protection zones and zones for the source of the 'Bolje Sestre' spring of the Regional Water Supply of the Montenegrin Coast, which was submitted to the Water Administration on consent. The expert team made a proposal to expand II and slightly reduce III sanitary protection zone. The Water Administration did not give a positive opinion on the submitted document and it was submitted for revision. What is worrying is that the explanation given for returning the Main Project to revision requested to scientifically reduce and not expand the existing, i.e. the proposed zones of sanitary protection of the source of 'Bolje Sestre'", it is stated.
In this way, the Regional Waterworks points out, further exploitation of gravel and sand from the bed of the Morača river would be possible.
"It is incomprehensible and criminally responsible that the Water Administration gives an opinion based on the revised Main Project on the determination and maintenance of zones and zones of sanitary protection for the source of the 'Bolje Sestre' spring of the Regional Water Supply of the Montenegrin Coast, and not on the basis of its valid Decision on zones of sanitary protection of the source "Bolje Sestre", number 060/08-02014-249, dated 12.12.2008/XNUMX/XNUMX. Such a procedure by the Water Administration is unprecedented and must be dealt with by the competent services", according to the Regional Water Supply.
They say that this company, in accordance with the request of the Water Administration, is intensively working on the creation of an innovative Main Project, which will propose maintaining the borders of the existing sanitary protection zones, according to which the Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Administration "should not have given consent to the burning of any economic facility within the same".
They note that the Regional Waterworks, due to the illegal exploitation of sand and the drastic drop in the yield of the "Boljeestra" spring, was forced to invest at least six million euros, in order to provide additional quantities of water for the needs of the Montenegrin coast.
"The question is how many millions of euros, after this and probably similar decisions of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Water Administration, will have to be invested in order to maintain the quality of the water that supplies the Montenegrin coast", they stated in the announcement.
It is not necessary, as they said, to remind that any disturbance in the quantity and quality of the water of the "Boljeestra" spring can lead to unfathomable negative consequences for the development of tourism, that is, for the budget of Montenegro, which collects about 1,3 billion euros based on tourism.
They said that the Regional Waterworks will, as before, do everything to protect the source of "Boljeestra", which, as they said, defends the interests of the citizens of the coast and the state.
"In this sense, they will initiate adequate proceedings with the competent authorities against the persons who made such an illegal decision. Time will tell whether private interests are more important than the interests of the state of Montenegro and its citizens. The regional water supply is convinced that the state of Montenegro, that is, its The government, relevant ministries and institutions adequately respond to this very serious challenge," the announcement concludes.
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