According to Serbian Economist, the mountain river Drina in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina was again blocked by a large accumulation of floating waste near the barriers of a hydroelectric power plant in the vicinity of the city of Visegrad, media reported, citing local activists and utility services.
During the winter, rubbish washed away by flooded rivers and tributaries accumulates near the protective line of the hydroelectric facility, forming “islands” of plastic bottles and other household and construction waste. Machinery is working to clear the riverbed, but activists note that the problem recurs every year.
Euronews specifies that some of the waste may come from illegal landfills not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also in neighboring Serbia and Montenegro, which gives the problem a cross-border character and requires coordination between the countries of the Drina basin.
According to estimates cited in publications, the volume of waste entering the dam area during peak periods can be measured in thousands of cubic meters, with activists claiming that medical materials are also found among the waste.
