Spalević: Mareza Canal is passable along its entire length after several decades

The Mareza Canal is passable along its entire length after several decades, Boris Spalević, deputy mayor of Podgorica, Saša Mujović, announced today.

"As the coordinator and initiator of this significant project for the Capital, I can proudly say that today the Mareza Canal is passable along its entire length of 8.500 meters," Spalević emphasized in a post on the social network Instagram.

He added that the first phase is proceeding as planned, and that there will be several more weeks of thorough cleaning of the canal, and that after that, in the second phase, an expert team will assess the canal's rehabilitation needs.

"It is a pleasure for all of us who believed in this project, because we have shown that the City Administration can implement such a complex project, and the city companies Deponija, Čistoća and Zelenilo have shown that they have responsibly and professionally completed the first phase of the project. It is also a pleasure for all of our citizens who provided unreserved support during the execution of the works, all of whom recognized the importance of preserving the Mareza spring, because this has been a neglected problem for decades," said Spalević.

He also stated that the last obstacles in cleaning the Mareza canal are being implemented by the companies of the Capital City - Deponija in cooperation with Čistoća and Zelenila, and that these companies show a high level of professionalism.

"We promised as the City Administration that the entire 8,5 km long canal would be cleaned and the promise is being fulfilled. The first phase will be followed by a detailed cleaning of the surrounding area and the deadline set by the end of March will be met. The last obstacle at the canal's confluence into the Morača River will be broken through in the coming hours, weather permitting. This significant water facility will finally be passable after decades of neglect and negligence by individuals and the state," Spalević wrote on Instagram.

Television Vijesti announced yesterday that after a long period marked by rain, yesterday's dry and sunny day allowed the relevant city companies to go out into the field and continue the rehabilitation of the clogged Mareza canal.

"Vijesti" previously reported that at the beginning of the year, due to heavy rainfall, numerous settlements in Podgorica and Danilovgrad were flooded.

In the capital, the most critical areas were the settlements of Beri, Mareza, Tološi and Doljani, which were most at risk from flooding.

After that, the Directorate for Inspection Affairs of the Capital City issued a decision on January 11th ordering the removal of the floodlights and fence of the "DG Arena" stadium, which were built on the route of the Mareze canal. The Capital City previously claimed that the canal had not been functional for years because buildings had been built in it without a permit, and waste had been dumped, which partly caused part of the surrounding settlements to be flooded.

At that time, the demolition and dismantling of the disputed parts of the stadium was ordered.

The "Čelebić" company dismantled the controversial spotlight on January 23, and told "Vijesti" that they would "preserve it after dismantling."

"At this point, it is not yet known whether and how he will be reinstated, given the strict technical regulations and procedures of UEFA (European Football Association), which must be followed," they said.

Since January 7, when the rehabilitation of the Mareza Canal began, two barriers in the Pavlovine settlement have been removed, and a pontoon bridge has been installed instead of the embankment that connected the houses to the other side of the river.

In that part, about a kilometer and a half of the river flow was freed, which workers from the city company "Zelenilo", with the help of a spider excavator from the company "Deponije", cleaned of sediment.

A 400-meter canal was dug upstream of the "DG Arena", and about 200 meters downstream of the Morača River.

Deputy Mayor Boris Spalević then announced that he would file criminal charges against "those who allowed illegal construction in the Mareza Canal."

He announced that he would act equally on all illegal structures in the Mare Canal, and that he would not allow their legalization.