The ecological inspection found a "slight trace of turbidity" on the left side of the Morača below the Crooked Bridge, which was caused by a fault because the outlet valve could not be closed, the Directorate for Inspection Affairs (UIP) told "Vijesti".
For this reason, they said, the water inspector issued an oral decision to measure the quality of wastewater, in accordance with the Law on Municipal Wastewater Management.
"After the release through an authorized laboratory, the inspector will act in accordance with the law and his powers after the results obtained, about which we will inform the interested public in a timely manner", they told "Vijesta"
Several readers contacted the newsroom two days ago and submitted videos and photos showing how a brown liquid, which they claim is faeces, is pouring out of a pipe under the Crooked Bridge in Morač. Citizens reported a similar problem under the Vezir Bridge to "Vijesti".
The UIP said that the day before yesterday, the environmental inspection "performed inspection immediately after receiving the initiative".
"... In cooperation with the water inspector, at the location of the wastewater treatment plant in Podgorica," they said.
They explained that the blur was caused by a failure of the autopilot command system.
"By visiting the site, it was established that the water that is discharged in front of the plant into the Morača River is slightly cloudy, because the command system for automatic control has failed, which will be repaired in the coming period, because the procurement of materials and parts for the system is in progress ", they said from the UIP.
They reminded that the company "Vodovod i kanalizacija" manages the existing wastewater treatment plant since its construction in 1978.
"It works with a capacity for 55.000 inhabitants. Given that the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment came into force much later, the supervisory entity did not carry out the process of assessing the environmental impact of the mentioned waste water treatment plant", explained the UIP.
They stated that the process of building a new facility is underway, which, as they said, will have a much larger capacity than the current one.
"Monitoring the quality of waste water for the existing plant is carried out in accordance with the Law on the Management of Communal Waste Water at the Outfall, through an authorized laboratory, 7-8 times during the year", said the Directorate for Inspection Affairs.
Head of the Water Quality Department of the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology (ZHMS) Nevenka Tomić she replied to "Vijesti" two days ago that the water quality in Morača is controlled in several places.
"The water quality of Morača is controlled below the mouth of Cijevna and below Vukovac towards Ponari. It is known that for many years waste water from city sewers has been discharged into Morača, because the collector does not have enough capacity to process it. That's why you can often see the color of half the flow of the right part of the Morača - brown, white or gray, depending on the type of water that is discharged and the degree of processing", she said.
According to her, the unpleasant smell that can be felt in that part of the city is the result of the sewage basins being emptied.
"And the main reason that the water in the lower part of Morača is not of good quality is the inflow water from the city's sewage system. "Earlier, we did control under the outlet near the bridge, and it showed a bad condition, but in recent years, localities downstream for testing, five to 15 kilometers away, have been done to see the level of pollution or self-purification of the water," he explains to "Vijesta".
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