HPP 'Buk Bijela' will turn the Drina into a lake, the population will feel the consequences

(Patria) - "The construction of the 'Buk Bijela' hydroelectric power plant (HPP), which is part of the 'Gornja Drina' Hydroelectric System (HES), along with the 'Foča' and 'Paunci' hydroelectric power plants, will completely 'lake' the upper course of the Drina River, which is also its most beautiful part.

In other words, if these hydroelectric power plants are built, the Drina River will become a lake, which will change the river's ecosystem, as well as the climate of this area. The population will feel the consequences of this project the most," warned representatives of the Center for Environmental Protection after a public hearing on the construction of the Buk Bijela HPP, which was held on Friday in Foča.

The public hearing was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Civil Engineering and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska, the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska, representatives of the expert team that worked on the Environmental Impact Study, representatives of the municipality of Foča, the Public Institution Vode Srpske from Bijeljina, as well as representatives of environmental associations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and a large number of local residents.

After the presentation of the study, a public hearing followed, where mostly positive comments were heard on the presented document and the implementation of the Buk Bijela HPP project, while criticisms and constructive questions were met negatively by those present.

The comprehensive study presented yesterday, however, did not answer all questions.

Among other things, the cumulative effect addressed in the study is based on water research conducted at only three locations, despite the fact that it concerns a 30-kilometer section that the 'Gornja Drina' HES, to which the 'Buk Bijela' HPP belongs, would cover.

Also, the study lacks data on the calculation of flood flows due to, as stated, the absence of adequate input data. Without this data, we cannot know if this project will increase the risk of floods and thus endanger the safety of the downstream population.

The Drina River represents the most significant habitat for huchen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one of the most important in Europe in terms of habitat length. If the 'Buk Bijela' HPP and the 'Gornja Drina' HES complex are built, this will no longer be the case.

At the public hearing, arguments from the environmental impact study were presented, which claim that a solution for preserving huchen exists and that it is the construction of a spawning ground planned on the Bjelava River, a tributary of the Drina. These claims are also unsubstantiated, given that it is very difficult to breed such a sensitive species in artificial conditions, as pointed out by some of the experts present.