The spilling of waste materials into the Morača River is incomprehensible and irresponsible, and the carelessness of the authorities for the state of the environment in Montenegro is nothing new, the executive director of the non-governmental organization (NGO) "Green Home" told "Vijesti". Azra Vuković.
According to her, the spilling of waste materials endangers the area's biodiversity, and bathers, during the summer months and high temperatures on the river, are "exposed to pathogenic microorganisms and toxic chemicals."
Several readers contacted "Vijesti" last week 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 the newsroom.
The ecological inspection then found a "slight trace of turbidity" on the left side of the Morača below the Crooked Bridge, which, they said, was caused by a malfunction, because the outlet valve could not be closed.
Vuković reminded that Morača is a tributary of Lake Skadar, that Lake Skadar is a national park, so, she says, "such ecological incidents endanger the biodiversity of one of the most important natural assets of the country".
"Montenegro, which aspires to become a member of the European Union (EU), should not allow such environmental incidents practically in the very center of the capital," she told "Vijesta".
According to her, the issue of waste water management and treatment must be resolved.
"The construction of a collector for wastewater treatment in Podgorica has been announced for years, which has not yet been resolved, although there is no justification for it. Therefore, we have a constant spill of waste materials into the Morača River and a constant impact of waste materials on the living world of this river and the lake downstream," said Vuković.
Executive Director of "Water and Sewerage" Aleksandar Nišavić, at the end of June, told Gradska television that the construction of the collector in Botun will begin in September.
He explained that they are bound by the legal deadlines, but also that it depends on the authorities in the Government of Montenegro whether, in the end, the construction will take place.
Vuković notes that the problem can be solved by quality regulation of the sewage system.
"...In addition to the wastewater treatment system, whose capacities meet the city's needs, they are the solution to this and similar problems. In addition, regular maintenance and monitoring of work is required with the application of punitive measures when this is not the case. "Podgorica, with the number of inhabitants living in it, has long exceeded the capacity of the existing plant, so waste water is discharged into the water recipient - Morača, without any special treatment," she said.
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The interlocutor of "Vijesti" emphasizes that the problem of spilling waste water into rivers and other bodies of water can be solved by applying modern techniques for purifying waste water.
"... Which will be previously collected by an appropriate sewage system, this problem can be solved. It is clear that unplanned construction and inadequate preparation of infrastructure in numerous settlements in the capital have further complicated this problem, but the pouring of untreated waste water into the water recipient is unacceptable and inadmissible. In Montenegro, wastewater treatment systems have not yet been built in all municipalities, and even in those that have, there are problems in functioning", said Vuković.
According to her, the situation with the spilling of suspicious substances into the Morača River "suggests that we are far from meeting the standards when it comes to Montenegro's accession to the EU".
This, she added, also applies to chapter 27 - Environmental protection and climate change.
"... Which speaks of the importance of this area. Legislation, in this area, is harmonized with that of the EU, which means that Montenegro should establish standards related to water quality as they are in EU countries. However, there are well-known problems with delays in the construction of infrastructure in this area, problems with the functioning of facilities that have been completed, and the entire wastewater management system in Montenegro. And the State Audit Institution (DRI) after conducting a performance review procedure, assessed that wastewater management in Montenegro is not efficient," concludes Vuković.
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