Na Drini deponija: Toksični krug otpada
Otpad koji dolazi iz Crne Gore, Srbije, i Bosne i Hercegovine, izvađen iz Drinskog jezera spaljuje se na obližnjoj višegradskoj deponiji koja nema dozvolu, i tako imamo začarani toksični krug, ističe Dejan Furtula, lokalni aktivista u razgovoru s reporterima.
Dok prilazimo Ćupriji na Drini, mostu Mehmed-paše Sokolovića, u zraku se miješaju neugodni mirisi dima sa deponije udaljene tri kilometra i uglja iz kućnih ložišta.
Gušimo se u dimu s nelegalne gradske deponije na kojoj se spaljuje otpad izvađen iz Drinskog jezera“, zabrinuto priča Sanja Stojanović, rođena Višegrađanka.
Sanja kaže da to traje i više od deset godina, a svakodnevno od septembra 2025. zbog nemara institucija, ona strahuje za zdravlje svoje porodice i susjeda u naselju Dušće te selima Holijaci, Pijavice i Drinsko, ali i širom Višegrada.
Imali smo silna obećanja da će se to rješiti ali jednostavno više ne može da se diše”, rezignirana je Stojanović.
Kasnije smo se provezli deponijom i zabilježili snimke stabala, smeća i plastike kako gori bez ikakvog nadzora. Psi i ptice raznosili su smeće na deponiji kroz koju prolazi put ka obližnjim selima. U deponiju se može ući slobodno s magistralnog puta, a na ulazu stoji upozorenje o sigurnosnoj kameri.
A Landfill on the Drina: A Toxic Cycle of Waste
Waste coming from Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, extracted from the Drina reservoir, is burned at a nearby landfill in Višegrad that does not have a permit, creating a vicious toxic cycle, emphasizes Dejan Furtula, a local activist, in a conversation with reporters.
As we approach the Bridge on the Drina, the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge, unpleasant smells mix in the air—smoke from a landfill three kilometers away and coal from household heating.
We are suffocating in smoke from an illegal municipal landfill where waste extracted from the Drina reservoir is being burned,” says Sanja Stojanović, a concerned native of Višegrad.
Sanja says this has been going on for more than ten years, and daily since September 2025. Due to institutional neglect, she fears for the health of her family and neighbors in the Dušće settlement and the villages of Holijaci, Pijavice and Drinsko, as well as across Višegrad.
We had countless promises that this would be resolved, but it has simply become impossible to breathe,” says Stojanović, frustrated.
Later, we drove through the landfill and recorded footage of trees, waste and plastic burning without any supervision. Dogs and birds were spreading garbage across the landfill, through which a road to nearby villages passes. The landfill can be freely accessed from the main road, and at the entrance there is a warning about a security camera.
Toksični krug plutajućeg otpada sa Drine
Hiljade tona plutajućeg otpada, pretežno plastične ambalaže, komunalnog otpada i stabala, ponovo su, kao i prethodnih desetak godina, krajem zime rijekama drinskog sliva iz Crne Gore, Srbije i Bosne i Hercegovine dospjele u akumulaciju u Drinsko jezero, koju Hidroelektrana Višegrad koristi od 1989. godine.
Piše: Dragan Stanimirović
Fotografije: Svjetlana Panić
Fotografije dronom: Robert Oroz
Na uklanjanju otpada iz jezera rade uposlenici te kompanije kako bi omogućili nesmetan rad turbina. Od 2010. otpad zaustavlja improvizovana lančanica na jezeru, koja sprječava njegovo dalje kretanje.
Za taj posao, kako kaže Darko Frganja, menadžer službe za kvalitet i zaštitu životne sredine u Hidroelektrani na Drini (Višegrad) potroše između 25.000 i 100.000 eura godišnje.
Frganja kaže da nemaju gdje drugo odložiti otpad osim na gradsku deponiju, udaljenu svega 300 metara od jezera i da je deponija u nadležnosti lokalnih vlasti.
Mi to sami ne možemo riješiti bez saradnje tri države, a podatak da godišnje izvučemo između 6.000 i 8.000 kubnih metara otpada je zabrinjavajući“, kaže Frganja.
A toxic cycle of floating waste from the Drina
Thousands of tons of floating waste, mostly plastic packaging, municipal waste and timber, have once again, as in the past decade, reached the Drina reservoir at the end of winter via rivers in the Drina basin from Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Reporter: Dragan Stanimirović
Photos: Svjetlana Panić
Drone photos: Robert Oroz
The reservoir has been used by the Višegrad Hydropower Plant since 1989. Employees of the company work on removing waste from the lake to enable uninterrupted turbine operation. Since 2010, waste has been stopped by an improvised chain barrier on the lake, preventing it from moving further.
For this work, as stated by Darko Frganja, head of quality and environmental protection at the Drina Hydropower Plant (Višegrad), between 25,000 and 100,000 euros are spent annually.
Frganja says they have nowhere else to dispose of the waste except at the municipal landfill, located just 300 meters from the lake, and that the landfill is under the jurisdiction of local authorities.
We cannot solve this on our own without cooperation between the three countries, and the fact that we extract between 6,000 and 8,000 cubic meters of waste annually is worrying,” says Frganja.
Kažnjavanje lokalnog komunalnog preduzeća koje nije vlasnik deponije
Predstavnici vlasti u Višegradu nisu odgovorili na naš upit za intervju o čišćenju smeća iz Drine, kao i o paljenju smeća na deponiji.
Gordana Krivošija, direktorica akcionarskog društva Komunalac, lokalne komunalne kompanije čiji je osnivač opština Višegrad, kaže da to preduzeće ne upravlja deponijom u Višegradu, niti je njen vlasnik.
Mi smo korisnici kao bilo ko u ovoj opštini kao i svi građani koji odlažu otpad“, kaže ona.
Objašnjava da je Komunalac samo nastavio odlaganje otpada na toj lokaciji iz ranijeg perioda, od formiranja deponije 1989. godine.
Lokacija je u vlasništvu opštine, a mi nemamo nikakav akt kojim nam je ta deponija data na upravljanje. Očito je da je to divlja deponija, jer nema upotrebnu dozvolu“, naglašava.
Krivošija smatra da je nepravedno što je Komunalac kažnjen za stanje na deponiji.
Ističe da je preduzeće dobilo prekršajni nalog od 3.000 KM, a ona kao odgovorno lice dobila je nalog na 2.000 KM. Ona tvrdi da je inspektor proizvoljno odredio odgovornost.
Govoreći o požarima, navodi da ne može tvrditi ko pali smeće.
Smeće gori u dubini i to je veoma teško ugasiti“, objašnjava. Dim se, kaže, javlja čak i nakon kiše i snijega.
Ona smatra da je jedino rješenje izgradnja uređene, zakonske deponije.
Bez uključivanja države, lokalne zajednice i građana, ovaj problem se ne može riješiti“, kaže Krivošija.
Objašnjava da živi nedaleko od deponije i da joj je kao građanki Višegrada takođe stalo da se riješi ovaj problem.
Penalizing a local utility company that is not the landfill owner
Representatives of the authorities in Višegrad did not respond to our request for an interview about cleaning waste from the Drina, as well as about burning waste at the landfill.
Gordana Krivošija, director of the joint-stock company Komunalac, a local utility company founded by the municipality of Višegrad, says the company does not manage the landfill nor is it its owner.
We are users like anyone else in this municipality, like all citizens who dispose of waste,” she says.
She explains that Komunalac only continued disposing of waste at that location from an earlier period, since the landfill was established in 1989.
The location is owned by the municipality, and we do not have any document assigning us management of the landfill. It is clearly an illegal landfill, as it does not have an operating permit,” she emphasizes.
Krivošija believes it is unfair that Komunalac was fined for the state of the landfill.
She points out that the company received a misdemeanor fine of 3,000 BAM, while she, as the responsible person, received a fine of 2,000 BAM. She claims the inspector arbitrarily determined responsibility.
Speaking about the fires, she says she cannot claim who is setting the waste on fire.
The waste burns deep inside and it is very difficult to extinguish,” she explains. She says smoke appears even after rain and snow.
She believes the only solution is the construction of a regulated, legal landfill.
Without the involvement of the state, the local community and citizens, this problem cannot be solved,” says Krivošija.
She explains that she lives not far from the landfill and that, as a citizen of Višegrad, she also wants this problem resolved.
SEI: 25% otpada u Bosni i Hercegovini završava na divljim deponijama
Prema podacima Stockholmskog instituta za zaštitu okoliša (SEI), oko 25 posto ukupno odbačenog otpada u BiH završava na divljim deponijama, dok je UNDP evidentirao više od 1.400 takvih lokacija širom zemlje.
U aprilu 2025. samo šest deponija u Bosni i Hercegovini ispunjavalo je standarde Evropske unije.
To znači da se većina otpada i dalje zakonski odlaže na deponije koje ne ispunjavaju osnovne okolišne standarde, navodi se u projektu “Tehničke pomoći za poboljšanu iskoristivost materijala iz otpada kroz odvojeno prikupljanje, ponovnu upotrebu i reciklažu zasnovanu na principima cirkularne ekonomije” a koji finansira EU.
Spaljivanje otpada, posebno plastike, oslobađa dioksine, jedne od najtoksičnijih supstanci, povezane s rakom, hormonskim poremećajima i oštećenjem imunog sistema. Riječ je o perzistentnim organskim zagađivačima koji se ne razgrađuju lako, već se godinama zadržavaju u okolišu i ulaze u lanac ishrane.
Dioksini su izuzetno toksični i mogu uzrokovati reproduktivne i razvojne poremećaje, oštećenje imunog sistema, hormonalne poremećaje i rak”, zaključuje se u izvještaju Svjetske zdravstvene organizacije (WHO).
SEI: 25% of waste in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends up in illegal dumps
According to data from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), around 25 percent of total waste in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends up in illegal dumps, while UNDP has recorded more than 1,400 such locations across the country.
In April 2025, only six landfills in Bosnia and Herzegovina met European Union standards.
This means that most waste is still legally disposed of at landfills that do not meet basic environmental standards, according to the project “Technical assistance for improved material recovery from waste through separate collection, reuse and recycling based on circular economy principles,” funded by the EU.
Burning waste, especially plastic, releases dioxins - among the most toxic substances - linked to cancer, hormonal disorders and immune system damage. These are persistent organic pollutants that do not easily break down, but remain in the environment for years and enter the food chain.
Dioxins are extremely toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental disorders, damage the immune system, hormonal disorders and cancer,” concludes a report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Rijeke bi mogle ponovo biti čiste, ali je neophodna politička volja i akcija
“Ova ekološka katastrofa ponavlja se već dvije decenije, i to svake godine, jer ne postoji politička volja u tri države da se riješi”, izričit je Dejan Furtula, predsjednik lokalnog Udruženja građana Eko centar koji se godinama sa kolegama aktivstima iz tri države zalaže za rješenje problema.
Dok se miješaju zvukovi rijeke i plastičnog otpada koje pluta zaustavljeno buradima lančanice, Dejan kaže da je postojala velika prilika da se kroz projekat EU Aquatic Plastic radi na satelitskom praćenju otpada.
To je po njegovom mišljenju osnov da bi se pristupilo poslu čišćenja, na samom izvoru problema.
“Zbog nedostatka finansija, odnosno kofinansiranja petine iznosa od 105.000 eura, nismo mogli da to ispratimo”, objašnjava Furtula i predlaže konkretna rješenja: “Kada bi svaka od tri države izdvojila 2,5 do 3 miliona eura godišnje, za dvije do tri godine sve deponije uz rijeke bi bile uklonjene, postavljene lančanice na Limu i Drini. U tom periodu, rijeke bi ponovo bile čiste”.
Rivers could be clean again, but political will and action are needed
“This environmental disaster has been repeating for two decades, every year, because there is no political will in the three countries to solve it,” says Dejan Furtula, president of the local NGO Eko Centar, who has long advocated solutions with fellow activists from the region.
As the sounds of the river mix with plastic waste floating behind the chain barrier, Furtula says there was a major opportunity through the EU Aquatic Plastic project to track waste via satellite.
In his view, this would be the basis for addressing the problem at its source.
“Due to lack of funding, specifically co-financing of one-fifth of the €105,000 amount, we were unable to follow through,” he explains, proposing concrete solutions:
“If each of the three countries allocated €2.5 to €3 million annually, within two to three years all riverbank dumps would be removed and barriers installed on the Lim and Drina. In that period, the rivers could be clean again.”
Plutajući otpad stiže iz više pravaca
Prema procjenama iz Hidroelektrane na Drini, najveće količine plutajućeg otpada donosi rijeka Lim sa područja Srbije (45%), rijeka Tara iz Crne Gore (40%) i Drina i njene pritoke u Bosni i Hercegovini (15%).
Mi ipak ne znamo sa sigurnošću odakle dolazi sav ovaj otpad, jer nemamo pouzdane podatke o deponijama”, napominje Furtula.
On smatra da otpad dolazi slivom rijeke Drine, i podsjeća da su uzvodno i Priboj, Rudo, Goražde.
Vidio sam i Praču u Rogatici zagađenu, gdje se ulijeva u Drinu. Tamo je isto velika deponja na obali rijeke, tako da dolazi sa svih strana”, kaže.
Put dug četrdesetak kilometara vodi od Višegrada do Priboja, prateći najprije tok Drine, a zatim dolinu Lima, nakon prelaska granice.
Duž te dionice uočljive su brojne divlje deponije s obje strane granice, uprkos ponegdje i postavljenim tablama koje upozoravaju da se smeće ne odlaže u korito rijeke.
Floating waste arrives from multiple directions
According to estimates from the Drina Hydropower Plant, the largest quantities of floating waste come from the Lim River in Serbia (45%), the Tara River in Montenegro (40%), and the Drina and its tributaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina (15%).
We still do not know with certainty where all this waste comes from, because we do not have reliable data on dumps,” Furtula notes.
He believes the waste comes from across the Drina basin and reminds that upstream there are Priboj, Rudo and Goražde.
I have also seen the Prača River in Rogatica polluted, where it flows into the Drina. There is also a large landfill on the riverbank there, so it comes from all sides,” he says.
A road about forty kilometers long leads from Višegrad to Priboj, following first the Drina and then the Lim after crossing the border.
Along this stretch, numerous illegal dumps can be seen on both sides of the border, despite warning signs prohibiting waste disposal in riverbeds.
Lančanica na Limu kod Priboja
Siniša Laković, predsjednik ekološkog udruženja Jastreb iz Priboja, koje je 2021. godine na Potpećkom jezeru postavilo lančanice ispred hidroelektrane, tvrdi da od tada smeće nije išlo prema Drini.
Tvrdim da od 2021., otkako su postavljene ove lančanice, nijedan kubik smeća nije prošao prema Drini, odnosno prema Bosni i Hercegovini. Često se zaboravlja da Lim protiče i 40 km kroz BiH, pa i tu nastaje značajan prihvat smeća”, kaže.
On posebno ističe značajnu podršku lokalnih i državnih vlasti. “Mi sad imamo dobru sliku, na hidrocentrali, u centru grada, da nemamo više te tako porazne slike smeća na obali, tako da mislim da smo mi uradili ogroman posao”.
Laković kaže i da se smeće trenutno deponuje na gradsku deponiju Duboki potok, te da su ministarstvu predložili da se otpad iz rijeke odloži na jedno mjesto, da se osuši i sortira, a drvni otpad iskoristi za grijanje.
Sada čekaju odgovor ministarstva jer je potrebno provjeriti zakonske regulative. Za sada, otpad se privremeno deponuje na gradsku deponiju, jer drugo rješenje trenutno ne postoji, priča naš sagovornik.
Chain barrier on the Lim near Priboj
Siniša Laković, president of the environmental association Jastreb from Priboj, which installed a chain barrier at the Potpeć reservoir in 2021, claims that since then waste has not flowed toward the Drina.
I claim that since 2021, when these barriers were installed, not a single cubic meter of waste has passed toward the Drina, that is, toward Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is often forgotten that the Lim flows for 40 kilometers through Bosnia and Herzegovina as well, and significant waste accumulation happens there too,” he says.
He highlights strong support from local and national authorities.
Laković adds that waste is currently disposed of at the municipal landfill Duboki Potok and that they proposed to the ministry to collect river waste in one place, dry and sort it, and use wood waste for heating.
They are now waiting for a response due to legal considerations. For now, waste is temporarily disposed of at the municipal landfill, as no other solution exists.
“Lim je naš ponos ali i sramota”
Damir Bećirbašić iz građanske inicijative Zaštitimo reke Prijepolja upozorava da se na deponiji Duboki potok u Druglićima, koja se nalazi pet kilometara uzvodno od lančanice, bez sistema upravljanja odlaže otpad iz opština Priboj, Prijepolje i Nova Varoš.
Dok ulazimo u deponiju čija je kapija širom otvorena, Bećirbašić nam govori kako je riječ o “totalno nesanitarnoj deponiji, gdje ne postoji ni jedan jedini način upravljanja”.
Deponija se nalazi stotinjak metara od rijeke, zbog čega dio otpada ponovo može da završi u vodi i spušta se nizvodno ka lančanici.
“Kese lete, vjetar ih nosi, ptice i životinje ulaze, to smeće se raznosi”, Damir opisuje stanje na terenu.
Poseban problem su česti požari, zbog kojih dio otpada završava u vazduhu. “Zapali se pa završi u plućima građana, zavisi gdje ode vjetar”, upozorava on.
Istovremeno, planirana sanitarna deponija kaže godinama nije završena, uprkos milionima uloženih sredstava.
Čak i kada bi bila otvorena, Bećirbašić ističe da sistem i dalje ne bi funkcionisao. “Mi nemamo nijedan mehanizam da se uopšte odvaja otpad, čak ni na najosnovnije vrste”, kaže on.
Nedostaje infrastruktura za selekciju otpada, kao i osnovni kapaciteti za reciklažu.
Lim je naš ponos, ali i naša sramota”, naglašava Bećirbašić.
“The Lim is our pride, but also our shame”
Damir Bećirbašić from the civic initiative “Let’s Protect the Rivers of Prijepolje” warns that at the Duboki Potok landfill in Druglići, located five kilometers upstream from the barrier, waste from several municipalities is dumped without any management system.
As we enter the landfill with its gate wide open, he describes it as “completely unsanitary, with no management whatsoever.”
The landfill is located about one hundred meters from the river, meaning waste can easily return to the water and flow downstream.
“Plastic bags fly, the wind carries them, birds and animals enter, the waste is scattered,” he says.
Frequent fires are another major issue. “It burns and ends up in people’s lungs, depending on where the wind takes it,” he warns.
At the same time, a planned sanitary landfill has not been completed despite millions invested.
Even if opened, Bećirbašić says the system would still not function due to a lack of waste separation mechanisms.
The Lim is our pride, but also our shame,” he concludes.
Rijeka Lim kao protočna deponija
Tatjana Dragutinović živi u naselju Ivanje kod Prijepolja. Upozorava da rijeka Lim uz koju živi postaje “protočna deponija” kroz tri države. Duž cijelog toka od oko 220 kilometara ponavlja se isti prizor – gomila otpada završava u rijeci.
"Lim služi kao protočna deponija svim ljudima koji žive blizu njega”, ističe ona. Otpad dolazi uzvodno iz Crne Gore, prolazi kroz Srbiju i nastavlja dalje, jer ga ljudi namjerno odlažu uz obale ili direktno u rijeku.
"To nije filozofija, to je manjak svijesti i čuvanja ove dobrote i ljepote koje imamo”, kaže Dragutinović, naglašavajući da je problem prije svega u odnosu ljudi prema prirodi.
Nakon svakog porasta vodostaja, rijeka izbaci smeće na obalu i puteve. “Mi mještani se organizujemo i čistimo, to je redovna akcija posle svakog porasta Lima”, priča on.
Odgovore na pitanje čišćenja rijeke Lim nismo dobili od načelnika opštine Priboj. Poručio je da je to “malo nezgodna tema” i da nije zainteresovan za učešće u reportaži.
Iz Ministarstva zaštite životne sredine Srbije također nismo dobili odgovore na pismeni upit o rješavanju nelegalnih deponija duž doline Lima u Srbiji.
The Lim River as a flowing landfill
Tatjana Dragutinović lives in the settlement of Ivanje near Prijepolje. She warns that the Lim River, along which she lives, is becoming a “flowing landfill” across three countries. Along its entire course of around 220 kilometers, the same scene repeats - piles of waste end up in the river.
“The Lim serves as a flowing landfill for all the people who live near it,” she points out. Waste comes downstream from Montenegro, passes through Serbia and continues further, because, she says, people deliberately dump it along the banks or directly into the river.
“This is not philosophy, it is a lack of awareness and care for this good and beauty that we have,” says Dragutinović, emphasizing that the problem lies primarily in people’s relationship with nature.
After every rise in water levels, the river throws garbage onto the banks and roads. “We locals organize ourselves and clean it up; it’s a regular action after every rise of the Lim,” she says.
We did not receive answers about cleaning the Lim River from the mayor of the municipality of Priboj. He said it is “a somewhat delicate topic” and that he is not interested in participating in the report.
We also did not receive responses from Serbia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection to a written inquiry about resolving illegal dumps along the Lim valley in Serbia.
“I Lim je nekada bio “suza Evrope”, a danas se ne peca u Bijelom Polju”
Bijelo Polje slovi kao najzagađeniji grad na sjeveru Crne Gore u slivu rijeke Lim.
Rijeka Lim nekada je bila među najčišćim u Evropi, a danas je jedna od najzagađenijih” kaže Almer Mekić, izvršni direktor lokalne nevladine organizacije Euromost.
Više od 35 godina prati stanje rijeke Lim, a posljednjih 16 godina vodi organizaciju koja se bavi zaštitom životne sredine.
Dok razgovaramo na obalama rijeke oko nas vijore kese, a plastični otpad prekriva obale i korito rijeke u Bijelom Polju. Mekić pojašnjava: “Čitava obala, kroz čitav grad, nalazi se u ovakvom stanju. Planinske i manje naseljene opštine uzvodno, poput Plava i Andrijevice, rijetko bilježe zagađenje”, kaže on.
Otpad iz Bijelog Polja i Berana dalje putuje nizvodno doprinoseći zagađenju u Prijepolju i dalje nizvodno. “Rijeka je sada toliko zagađena da ribolovci ne mogu koristiti obale kao nekada. A i riba je negdje otišla”, objašnjava sagovornik.
Upozorava da bez striktne primjene zakona i nadzora inspekcija, te angažovanja lokalnih vlasti i građana, Lim neće biti očišćen. Rješenje postoji, ali zahtijeva sistemski pristup, kaže on. “Sve se može popraviti, ali prvo mora krenuti od vrha - vlade, inspekcije i lokalne uprave moraju dosljedno sprovoditi zakone”, naglašava Mekić.
“The Lim was also once the ‘Tear of Europe,’ and today fishing is no longer possible in Bijelo Polje”
The municipality of Bijelo Polje in Montenegro is considered one of the most affected areas when it comes to waste and illegal dumps along the Lim River.
The Lim River was once among the cleanest in Europe, and today it is one of the most polluted,” says Almer Mekić, executive director of the local NGO Euromost.
He has been monitoring the state of the Lim River for more than 35 years, and for the past 16 years has led an organization dealing with environmental protection.
As we speak on the riverbanks, plastic bags flutter around us, and plastic waste covers the banks and riverbed in Bijelo Polje. Mekić explains: “The entire riverbank, throughout the whole town, looks like this. Mountain and less populated municipalities upstream, such as Plav and Andrijevica, rarely record pollution,” he says.
Waste from Bijelo Polje and Berane continues downstream, contributing to pollution in Prijepolje and further beyond. “The river is now so polluted that fishermen can no longer use the banks as they once did. And the fish have disappeared somewhere,” he explains.
He warns that without strict enforcement of laws and inspection oversight, as well as the engagement of local authorities and citizens, the Lim will not be cleaned. A solution exists, but it requires a systemic approach, he says. “Everything can be fixed, but it must start from the top - governments, inspections and local authorities must consistently enforce the laws,” Mekić emphasizes.
Stotine nelegalnih deponija na području Bijelog Polja
Danijela Veličković, doktorantkinja biotehničkih nauka na Univerzitetu u Beogradu, koja godinama istražuje nelegalna odlagališta duž rijeke Lim.
Još 2019. godine evidentirala je razmjere problema.
“Detektovala sam preko 180 nelegalnih odlagališta na obalama Lima,” kaže Veličković. Otpad se nalazio i u samom riječnom koritu, kaže ona, tvrdeći da je bilo svega: Od plastike i tekstila do metala i elektronskog otpada.
Stanje je bilo izuzetno katastrofalno, niste mogli da priđete obali,” priča Veličković. Ona tvrdi da nadležne institucije nisu adekvatno reagovale.
Istraživanja koja je radila za opštinu i ministarstvo, kako kaže, nisu dovela do konkretnih promjena.
“Opština nije imala dovoljno sluha, a vjerovatno ni sredstava da ukloni odlagališta”, kaže ona.
U opštini Bijelo Polje nismo dobili konkretne odgovore o problemu nelegalnih deponija. Ministarstvo ekologije Crne Gore obećava odgovor i objavićemo ga kada ga dobijemo.
Hundreds of illegal dumps in the Bijelo Polje area
Danijela Veličković, a PhD candidate in biotechnical sciences at the University of Belgrade, has been researching illegal dumping sites along the Lim River for years.
As early as 2019, she documented the scale of the problem.
“I identified more than 180 illegal dumping sites along the banks of the Lim,” says Veličković. Waste was also found in the riverbed itself, she says, noting that it included everything - from plastic and textiles to metal and electronic waste.
The situation was extremely catastrophic - you couldn’t even approach the riverbank,” she says, adding that the responsible institutions did not respond adequately.
Research she conducted for the municipality and the ministry, she says, did not lead to concrete changes.
“The municipality did not have enough understanding, and probably not enough resources to remove the dumping sites,” she says.
We did not receive concrete answers from the municipality of Bijelo Polje regarding the issue of illegal dumps. The Ministry of Ecology of Montenegro announced that it would respond to our written inquiry, and we will publish it once we receive it.
Višedecenijski problem bez rješenja vlasti BiH, Srbije i Crne Gore
U Višegradu je 24. aprila 2019. održan trilateralni sastanak ministara nadležnih za zaštitu životne sredine iz bh. entiteta Republika Srpska te Srbije i Crne Gore s ciljem rješavanja problema plutajućeg otpada na Limu i Drinu, koji ugrožava rad hidroelektrana Višegrad i Bajina Bašta.
Tada je najavljeno formiranje timova i rješavanje problema ilegalnih deponija u drinskom slivu.
“Moramo ići sistematski, prvi koraci su formiranje timova koji će da evidentiraju sve deponije na rijekama Tara i Lim i nadamo se već krajem ove godine da ćemo imati vidljive poteze koji će napokon ukloniti smeće koje dolazi u našu opštinu”, izjavio je u aprilu 2019. Mladen Đurević, načelnik opštine Višegrad.
U posljednjih sedam godina nije bilo međudržavnih sastanaka resornih ministara, a naši sagovornici u Bosni i Hercegovini, Srbiji i Crnoj Gori smatraju da je malo toga urađeno i da je najbolji pokazatelj postojanje stotina ilegalnih deponija širom regije, dolinama rijeka Lim i Drine, ali i njenih drugih pritoka.
U pisanom odgovoru iz ministarstva ekologije bh. entieta Republika Srpska za Radiosarajevo.ba saopšteno je da je “u više navrata tražen sastanak i dogovor sa ministarstvom iz Srbije (sekretarom), koje je preuzelo obavezu da kontaktira nadležne organe Republike Crne Gore po navedenim zaključcima, ali do realizacije sastanka nije došlo u prethodnom periodu”.
Predstavnici resornih ministarstava Srbije i bh. entiteta Republike Srpske potpisali su u novembru 2025. memorandum o saradnji na zajedničkom rješavanju problema i realizaciji projekata koji su karakteristični za pogranične zone, uključujući i rijeku Drinu, navodi se u odgovoru.
A decades-long problem without a solution by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro
A trilateral meeting of ministers responsible for environmental protection from the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity Republika Srpska, as well as Serbia and Montenegro, was held in Višegrad on April 24, 2019, with the aim of addressing the problem of floating waste on the Lim and Drina rivers, which threatens the operation of the Višegrad and Bajina Bašta hydropower plants.
At that time, the formation of teams and the resolution of illegal dumps in the Drina basin were announced.
“We must proceed systematically. The first steps are to form teams that will record all dumps on the Tara and Lim rivers, and we hope that by the end of this year we will see visible actions that will finally remove the waste coming into our municipality,” said Mladen Đurević, mayor of Višegrad, in April 2019.
In the past seven years, there have been no interstate meetings of the relevant ministers, and our interlocutors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro believe that little has been done. The best indicator, they say, is the existence of hundreds of illegal dumps across the region, along the Lim and Drina river valleys and their tributaries.
In a written response, the Ministry of Ecology of the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity Republika Srpska told Radio Sarajevo-BIRN that “on several occasions a meeting and agreement were requested with the ministry in Serbia (the secretary), which undertook the obligation to contact the competent authorities of Montenegro based on the conclusions, but the meeting has not taken place in the previous period.”
Representatives of the relevant ministries of Serbia and the Bosnia and Herzegovina entity Republika Srpska signed a memorandum of cooperation in November 2025 on jointly resolving problems and implementing projects characteristic of border areas, including the Drina River, the response states.
Dok institucije šute, građani se truju
“Broj jedan treba da bude svim vlastima, ne samo lokalnim nego i republičkim i državnim, da se ovaj problem riješi. Višegrad je poznat po ćupriji i ljepoti Drine, i tužno je da je danas prva asocijacija deponija koja gori”, kaže Sanja Stojanović.
Iz resornog ministarstva RS navode da deponija u Višegradu „ne posjeduje dozvolu za upravljanje otpadom“, ali ističu da je to pitanje u nadležnosti lokalnih vlasti.
Građani cijele regije uz Drinu smatraju da političari nisu ispunili obećanja. Razočarani su jer zbog njihovog nedjelovanja žive u zagađenoj sredini.
Mještani povratnici, bošnjačke nacionalnosti, u selu Holijaci, koji žive u blizini deponije iz koje se šire otrovni dimovi, godinama upozoravaju na nepodnošljive uslove života. Podnosili su i krivične prijave, ali bez rezultata.
Informacije o zagađenju i protestima dijele i dokumentuju putem grupe na Facebooku. Ipak, njihov glas i dalje ne dopire do nadležnih. Nemoć dijele i njihovi susjedi srpske nacionalnosti. Deponija neprestano gori.
“Ukoliko se problem ne riješi, ovdje budućnosti nema”, kaže Sanja Stojanović.
While institutions remain silent, citizens are being poisoned
“This should be the number one priority for all levels of government - not only local, but also entity and state level - to solve this problem. Višegrad is known for the bridge and the beauty of the Drina, and it is sad that today the first association is a burning landfill,” says Sanja Stojanović.
The relevant ministry of Republika Srpska states that the landfill in Višegrad “does not have a permit for waste management,” but emphasizes that this is under the jurisdiction of local authorities.
Citizens across the Drina region believe that politicians have not fulfilled their promises. They are disappointed because, due to this inaction, they live in a polluted environment.
Returnee residents of Bosniak ethnicity in the village of Holijaci, living near the landfill from which toxic smoke spreads, have for years warned of unbearable living conditions.
They have filed criminal complaints, but without results.
They share and document information about pollution and protests through a Facebook group. However, their voices still do not reach the authorities. Their sense of powerlessness is shared by their Serb neighbors. The landfill continues to burn.
If the problem is not resolved, there is no future here,” says Sanja Stojanović.
