Lubura: Authorities and private capital will leave Sarajevo basin residents without drinking water

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Floods that hit areas in the municipalities of Trnovo RS, Istočna Ilidža and Ilidža during November could have been prevented if it weren't for negligence and mismanagement, claims Vladimir Lubura from the Non-Governmental Organization Ecological Movement "Krupačke stijene" in an interview with Agencija Patria.

"The chaos we saw in November was not recorded even in 2014 when the whole country was in trouble. Even then, I warned about what awaits us, due to the mini-hydro power plant built on the Željeznica River, which was built right after the World Fishing Championship. Then and now, I said we don't need that mini-hydro power plant," says Lubura.

 

Our interlocutor also explains what led to the recent floods.

"In the recent floods, the plant in Bogatić was open for water flow. The mini-hydro power plant in Krupačke stijene was closed, an accumulation lake formed, and the water returned to the local community of Kijevo, where several families were evacuated. Seeing what was happening and that the dam in Krupačke stijene would break, the owner released the dam. Below the dam, the riverbed was narrowed, and the water overflowed, washing away part of the main road that had never been threatened before, even during previous floods," points out Lubura.

He adds that this also endangered drinking water in downstream areas and damaged private property.

"It washed away 1069 m2 of mine, and a dulum and a half from my cousin. In 2014, I asked Voda Srpske to repair the riverbed and protect my property, but I didn't get permission because they said they would do it, and they never did. My meadow with trees was destroyed, and now I am seeking compensation for damages because they were arrogant and immoral. In short, this is a house without a host, and when something happens, they say 'God's will,' but it's not God's will, it's human negligence," Lubura tells Patria.

He emphasizes that no one is listening to the problems he is warning about.

"I also warned about the tire incineration plant and the landfill in Krupačke stijene, because heavy metals, carbons, medical waste, all of it seeps from the landfill and incineration plant into the Željeznica River. Downstream from the landfill is the main pumping station Bačevo, which supplies Sarajevo, and the time will come when the Waterworks in Sarajevo will inform citizens that the water is not drinkable. 140 tons of hazardous waste were brought daily from Herzegovina, and sooner or later, that landfill will explode," Lubura stated in an interview with Patria.

He notes that those engaged in agriculture are also endangered, as are their properties.

Lubura wonders why there were no floods from the confluence of the Željeznica into the Bosna River downstream to Doboj and answers: "Because there are no mini-hydro power plants.".

"The responsible minister, Srebrenka Golić, is not interested in these problems. Minister Golić asked us to react, but when the Supreme Court made positive rulings, she appealed those rulings. That is pure bluffing," says Lubura.

He points out that the landfill in Krupačke stijene can also cause a major epidemic in this area, as a large number of rats have appeared at the landfill, and animal waste is also disposed of there.

Lubura also told us about the attitude of the competent institutions towards problems that could potentially endanger the lives of half a million people.

"I asked the RS Institute of Public Health to come out and analyze the water that flows from the incineration plant in Krupačke stijene to the Željeznica. They asked me if they had to tell the truth, to which I replied that I only expect that. I asked them to determine only the factual situation, and they told me that if they have to tell the truth, then they cannot come. What kind of insolence is that. What kind of insolence is it from the chief city ecological inspector, Dragomir Kosorić, who conducted an air quality analysis while the furnaces in the incineration plant were turned off," points out Lubura.

To conclude the interview, Lubura reveals that a cellulose processing plant owned by an Italian businessman could soon be built near the Željeznica riverbed.

"If that happens, count on life being impossible here, not just here but in the entire Sarajevo basin. The only hope that this does not happen is that the Government of RS does not issue guarantees for raw materials to the Italian company. Because why would someone from Italy come here to do that? It is clear that no one there would allow them to build it in a settlement and in close proximity to the riverbed that supplies water to half a million people in two cities," said Lubura.

As he says, the NGO Ecological Movement "Krupačke stijene" has approached numerous embassies and international organizations for help with projects related to the problems in Krupačke stijene, but there has been no response.

"They only invest in politics, and it seems that the lives and problems of citizens interest them less," concluded Lubura.