Construction of the collector in Botun begins in October?

Construction of the collector in Botun could begin in October, Televizija Vijesti has learned unofficially.

However, the residents of Botun continue to categorically reject this possibility and warn that they will not allow it at the cost of their lives.

The director of Podgorica's Waterworks, Aleksandar Nišavić, responds that the public interest always takes precedence and adds that they are just waiting for the opinion of the Environmental Protection Agency.

"We don't have a spare Botun, we can't go back, without going to Morača. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers who created all this for us didn't go there, and neither will we. We will respond to force with force. And the bishop said: 'Doing evil, defending yourself from evil, there is no sin there', they won't go to Botun at the cost of their lives," Botun resident Dimitrije Raičković told Television Vijesti.

For Nišavić, the matter is clear - it is in the public interest to finally start construction of the collector because the Capital City is threatened with large financial penalties and most of the wastewater flows untreated into the Morača River.

"It is a 13-hectare plot owned by the Capital City, located in the KAP industrial zone and intended for industry. It is located between the Aluminum Plant and the local road Dajbabe - Botun. A prerequisite for the start of construction is obtaining the opinion of the Environmental Protection Agency, after which it is possible to submit a construction application and the technical conditions for the start of construction are met," said Nišavić.

And while, according to unofficial information from TV Vijesti, construction of the wastewater treatment system could begin on October 1st, the residents of Botun are once again pointing to health risks.

"It's not enough that the Aluminum Plant has been killing us for 50, 60 years, but they need to give us another polluter. They should be ashamed, the word democracy, it seems they've forgotten it," said Botun resident Jagoš Bećirović.

On the other hand, the Capital City has repeatedly reiterated that the new collector will not have an impact on the environment and that the first houses are nearly 500 meters away from it, and the center of Botuna is almost a kilometer and a half away. The construction of the collector is also a key condition for closing Chapter 27 in negotiations with the European Union.