Environment

Protest against small hydropower plants to be held in Belgrade on Sunday

Photo: Facebook/Odbranimo reke Stare planine

Published

January 21, 2019

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

January 21, 2019

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

The initiative Defend the Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina will hold a rally to protest the construction of small hydropower plants (SHPPs) in Belgrade on Sunday, with the official start scheduled for 1 pm at the Studentski Trg square. The only demand is to immediately halt the construction of all run-of-river SHPPs in Serbia, according to the organizers.

According to the initiative, the protest will be held over the construction of run-of-river SHPPs jeopardizing rivers, nature, and flora and fauna at a number of locations in Serbia, as well as due to the fact that none of the line institutions has attempted to stop the construction of SHPPs.

The rally will feature a range of speakers, with a protest march to the main government building on Nemanjina Street to begin at 2:30 pm.

Dušan Bodiroga, an administrator and volunteer of the Defend Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina, has called for a massive turnout at the rally.

“Let’s say ‘no’, loud and clear, to run-of-river SHPPs and corruption and crime,” Bodiroga wrote on social networks.

A number of professors, actors, and environmental activists from the country and abroad have turned to social media to urge citizens to take part in the protest. Many of them say that the protest in Belgrade on January 27 will be the largest-ever environmental gathering in the history of Serbia.

Ulrich Eichelmann, CEO of environmental non-governmental organization RiverWatch, warned in a video message that Balkan rivers are threatened by “a dam tsunami.”

This is especially the case in Serbia – “the guys are trying to steal your rivers. Please protest! There is a great opportunity on January 27, one o’clock,” he said.

https://www.facebook.com/dmbvideo1/videos/2191396537547099/?t=0

For three years now, the initiative Defend the Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina has been opposing the construction of run-of-river SHPPs on Mt. Stara Planina, some of which are planned in protected areas. In September 2018, the initiative organized a major rally in Pirot.

Ivan Karić, state secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said in November last year that the ministry had prepared a draft law to ban the construction of SHPPs in protected areas.

Experts have also voiced opposition to SHPPs. The deans of the university schools of forestry, biology, geography, and mining and geology, as well as the director of the Siniša Stanković Institute of Biological Research, have sent an open letter to Minister of Environmental Protection Goran Trivan and Pirot Mayor Vladan Vasić expressing concern regarding the conservation of natural resources.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

tuzla lithium mining ban

City of Tuzla seeks to block lithium mining on Mount Majevica

31 March 2025 - The Tuzla city council adopted a document concerning the protection of the environment and public health against lithium mining.

serbia jadar project lithium eko straza 100,000 signatores eu strategic status

EU mission in Serbia handed 100,000 signatures against declaring Rio Tinto’s Jadar a strategic project

31 March 2025 - Informal environmentalist organization Eko Straža has submitted a letter with 100,000 signatures to the Delegation of the EU to Serbia

international day of zero waste

International Day of Zero Waste 2025: reducing fashion and textiles waste

29 March 2025 - International Day of Zero Waste aims to draw attention to the negative impacts of waste and encourage global action at all levels.

Vucic EU designate lithium project Jadar Serbia strategic activists appeal

Serbia’s Vučić claims EU to designate lithium project Jadar as strategic – activists vow to appeal

26 March 2025 - Project Jadar will be labeled strategic in the EU, according to President Vučić. Activists say they would dispute such a status as well as the already designated mining proposals.