Construction machines are working around the clock to remove tonnes of trash clogging the Drina River in eastern Bosnia.
The problem is not new. Every winter, garbage carried by swollen rivers in the region accumulates downstream, eventually piling up behind barriers installed by a hydro power plant in Višegrad.
“This is a clear example of the lack of political will and inactivity of all relevant institutions,” says activist Dejan Furtula, who lives in nearby Višegrad and runs the Eko Centar environmental group. “They meet year after year and make promises, but as we can see these scenes repeat themselves."
The sight looks like something from an environmental disaster movie – an otherwise emerald green surface of river thickly covered with plastic bottles, pieces of wood or furniture, rusty barrels, home appliances or even dead animals. Furtula says medical waste is also there.
“This is an ecological disaster,” he says. “The Drina is rich with fish and you can imagine the toxins that are being released here, there is virtually everything, it is a big catastrophe.”
Why is the Drina full of rubbish?
The waste comes from illegal dump sites upstream in Bosnia but also in neighbouring Serbia and Montenegro. Several smaller tributaries across the region flow into the Drina, each carrying its share of the garbage.
In summer, the rivers are popular with rafters and nature lovers. The garbage problem culminates during winter months when swollen rivers sweep away illegal dump sites along their banks.
Officials from the three countries have pledged to work together to solve the issue. One such meeting of the environment ministers of Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro was held at the site back in 2019 but no solution appears to be in sight years later.
The situation illustrates how decades after the devastating 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia, the region lags behind the rest of Europe both economically and with regard to environmental protection.
Pollution threatens Balkan states' EU ambitions
In addition to river pollution, many countries in the Western Balkans have other environmental woes. One of the most pressing is the extremely high level of air pollution affecting a number of cities in the region.
Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro all have been aiming to join the European Union. Tackling environmental protection is a key condition for membership in the 27-country bloc.
Furtula says there are various ways to deal with the garbage problem, including mapping illegal dumping sites and installing cameras and barriers in several municipalities, rather than allowing all the trash to come to Višegrad.
When pulled out, the garbage ends up at the local landfill, where it burns slowly and releases toxic particles into the air, in what Furtula describes as a “vicious circle” that pollutes his town.
“It is coming from three countries – Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia,” he says. “But no one would admit it's theirs.”
