Zeta said "no" to the wastewater treatment plant in Botun yesterday - according to preliminary results, almost 8.000 Zeta residents do not want a collector in their neighborhood.
The residents of Botuni expect that official Podgorica will respect Zeta's position.
Representative of Botun Jagoš Bećirović He pointed out that the locals are staying under the tent and that he expects the Podgorica authorities to "respect and hear this democratic act."
He assessed that democracy had won and that no one should ignore the will of the citizens.
Bećirović also said that the people of Botunja will remain on the plot where the construction of the plant is planned. They already have a meeting scheduled today with the head of the European Union Delegation in Podgorica. Johann Satler.
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A local from Botuna Dusko Stijepović He stressed that it is necessary for everyone to fight for "a healthy environment and our children."
The people of Botunja are "true heroes of a historic victory," the DNP leader said late last night. Milan Knezevic, after 98 percent of Zeta citizens voted against the construction of the collector in Botun in a referendum.
After the announcement of the voting results, locals from other places in Zeta began to gather in Botun to celebrate.
Knežević said that a clear message was sent - "that the entire Zeta breathed for Botun and the entire Botun breathed for Zeta."
"And that no one can divide us. You have been defending the institutions of Montenegro here since November 14th. You are the face of Montenegro today," said Knežević last night, addressing the people of Botunja and their neighbors from other parts of Zeta, near the tent on the plot where the construction of the plant is planned.
More than 60 percent voted
More than 60 percent of Zeta residents exercised their civil rights yesterday - 7.834 of the approximately 12.800 who had the right to vote.
Against the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, said the mayor of the municipality Mihailo Asanović, 98 percent said yes.
As previously announced to "Vijesti" by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, around 12.800 citizens had the right to vote in the referendum, and in addition to 26 polling stations in Zeta, three were also open at the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions (UIKS).
Asanović pointed out that less than two percent were in favor of building a collector, and that only two citizens of Botun voted in favor of building a collector.
"This referendum cost less than 50.000, and by not building the collector, we will save lives."
He pointed out that there are no major steps, and that he believes that the Government will not go against its citizens.
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Asanović told "Vijesti" earlier yesterday that "some people were trying to reduce turnout by saying that this referendum would not affect" the decisions.
"It is very rude for anyone to say that this referendum will not have any impact, because this is the will of the citizens, this is the right of the citizens to choose. If someone thinks they can go against that, I am sure they cannot and that must be respected," Asanović stressed.
He also emphasized that, despite the fact that in the last elections they received a mandate from citizens to independently exercise power, "the citizens will have their say."
"The turnout is higher than in the last parliamentary elections, which further enhances the success of this referendum. Only in Botun was the turnout over 60 percent by 12 noon, which has never been recorded in Montenegro," Asanović assessed.
Asanović pointed out that "the Municipality of Zeta is all its citizens."
"...We didn't want to announce that only the Botun Local Community would vote, but rather that the entire Zeta would send a message. Whoever wants to speak, I am not the addressee, nor are the residents of Botun, but all the citizens of Zeta who will make the decision in the referendum. I am sure that 95 percent of citizens will be against the construction of the collector. I believe that no one can go against 95 percent of citizens...", said Asanović.
From Mugoša to the referendum
The project for a new wastewater treatment plant in Podgorica has been discussed for more than a decade, ever since the time when the city was headed by Miomir Mugoš.
During the term of office Slavoljub Stijepović, or rather in 2017, a loan agreement was signed with the German Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a European Union donation of 10 million was received.
All this time, the locals of Botun opposed the project.
At the beginning of 2020, the then director of Waterworks and Sewerage Philip Makrid and director of Bemax company Veselin Kovačević signed a contract for the construction of a primary collector within the wastewater treatment system. After signing the contract, the mayor Ivan Vukovic reminded that this is the project of the century for the Capital, the project to build a wastewater treatment system, with an estimated value of over 50 million euros.
After two years, in June 2022, Vuković re-signed the Contract for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant system. In addition to Vuković, the 3.500-page document was initialed by the then executive director of the Makrid Water and Sewerage Company, and the contractors, the director of the Turkish company Kuzu Group, Mehmet Emre Bastopku, and a member of the board of directors of the Turkish company Alkatraş, Bauram Albauark.
In addition to causing financial collapse for Podgorica if construction does not begin by the end of this year, abandoning the Botun facility could also lead to catastrophic environmental consequences, as the existing collector treats wastewater for a maximum of 55.000 people, and the capital city has a population of around 180.000. Failure to address the wastewater issue could also jeopardize the closure of Chapter 27 (environmental protection), and thus slow down the country's path towards membership in the European Union.
The municipality made the decision to organize the referendum in early October, a few days after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave the Capital City of Podgorica approval for the Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the plant construction project.
The people of Botuni do not agree with the decision to build the plant on these plots, despite the claims of the Podgorica and state executive authorities, as well as the domestic and international public, that it is not a polluter. The residents of Botuni, however, do not believe this and emphasize that they have more than a negative experience with the construction and operation of the former Aluminum Plant (KAP), and especially with the red sludge pool, which is still polluting today and the question is when it will be remediated because it has been in the hands of a private company for years that does not care about human health or the health of nature. They also claim that the plant is a major polluter, that the planned waste sludge incinerator is particularly controversial, but also that it is an outdated technology that developed countries are allegedly bypassing.
To prevent the Turkish investor from entering, the people of Botunja first organized guards on the plot across from the one where the construction was planned. After being visited several times by inspectors from the Capital City Inspection Department, they moved the tents to the plot where the facility was planned.
The people of Botunja will hold a local assembly this week and decide on the Government's offer, which includes the rehabilitation of the red mud basin while the construction of the plant is underway, the inclusion of representatives of that settlement and the Municipality of Zeta in the process, the publication of part of the contract with the Turkish consortium, constant measurements of harmful gas emissions and a promise that Podgorica will suspend the operation of the collector if pollution is higher than what is foreseen by European directives... The offer also included a guarantee from the Parliament of Montenegro that everything promised will be fulfilled.
Satler today with the Botunjans
Ambassador of the EU Delegation in Podgorica, Johan Sattler, will meet with representatives of Botun today
This was unofficially confirmed to "Vijesti" by the EU Delegation.
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The EU Delegation previously stated that "claims that the wastewater treatment plant in Botun poses a threat to public health or is based on outdated technology are completely unfounded."
“The project envisages a modern and safe plant, fully compliant with EU standards. Thousands of such plants are operating successfully across the EU and beyond, improving environmental protection and safeguarding community health. EU taxpayers have provided €33 million in grants for this project, helping Montenegro meet its obligations under Chapter 27 of the Treaty, while protecting the health of citizens and the environment. Far from being a polluter, the plant provides a key solution to the long-standing problem of untreated wastewater for around 150.000 citizens, which pollutes the Morača River, the Zeta Valley, the Skadar Lake area and the Adriatic Sea.”
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