Buk Bijela Won�t Be Built if It Endangers Tara River Canyon

30 August 2004

Tara River Canyon in Montenegro

The project for construction of the �Buk Bijela� dam system, the largest on the Drina River, will be stopped if the environmental study proves that it would endanger the protected areas of the canyons of rivers Tara, Pliva and Sutjeska, released the Government of Republic of Srpska.

Assistant Minister of Energy Zdravko Milovanovic said that there is no need for the current speculation about the danger to the national parks, until the environmental effects study is completed. He emphasized that the project is currently in the phase of evaluation of the technical offers submitted by the interested companies.

Numerous institutions and NGOs from Montenegro recently itensified the campaign for prevention of construction of BUK BIJELA dam, warning that the most beautiful segments of the national parks Tara, Pliva and Sutjeska would be completely flooded.

Pointing out that the official institutions of Montenegro try to implement the project �in an non-transparent and secretive manner�, they claim that the �black� scenario was based on the unofficial information and on the previous study on �Buk Bijela�, prepared years ago.

"If the project is implemented, the canyon of Tara River will be flooded to the altitude of 500 metres above sea-level, which will flood the segment with the most spectacular rapids, cascades and waterfalls, which were the main reason why it entered UNESCO�s list of world natural heritage", says Darko Stijepovic, director of the Centre for Development of Durmitor mountain.

Stijepovic added that a representative of UNESCO Venice Office recently visited Zabljak and was astonished that the project would be implemented without UNESCO experts� and general public�s participation.

Several hundred environmentalists from Montenegro started the �Necu baru, hocu Taru� (I don�t want a swamp, I want Tara) campaign, joined by the opposition parties, and they demand that the environmental study should include independent experts. They also demand that a referendum is called on the construction.

For more information, visit Durmitor Development Centre where you can sign the petition against the construction of BUK BIJELA Dam.