By the will of the people, the Rzav River has been defended and is now flowing freely!
The concession agreement for the construction of two power plants on the Black and White Rzav Rivers has been terminated.
Specifically, through these concessions, two power plants were planned on the waterways of the Black and White Rzav Rivers, which, in the area of the municipality of Višegrad in the village of Sastavci, form the Rzav River. This river flows for almost 25 kilometers and drains into the Drina River.
We welcome this decision by the Government of the Republic of Srpska. It represents the culmination of all activities that peaked a few years ago when the citizens, through their will and protests, defended this river from the construction of seven small hydroelectric plants along its course.
Following this, efforts for the legal protection of the Rzav River and its canyon were undertaken. This area is of great importance in terms of biodiversity, which was confirmed at this year’s Biologer Camp, which gathered scientists from the region and Europe, with the primary goal of establishing the biodiversity of this area. Today, this river and its canyon should receive special protection as a nature park, as foreseen in the spatial plan of the Republic of Srpska.
This area of the Rzav River is a natural habitat and spawning ground for the Danube salmon – i.e., the huchen, a species that is today critically endangered and whose natural habitats have been degraded. Furthermore, Rzav is home to many other important species, and the river’s canyon also represents a significant geomorphological natural value.
The greatest credit certainly goes to the citizens who stood up to defend their river and now sustainably benefit from the many advantages it provides.
The best example of how small hydroelectric plants work in practice can be seen on the tributaries of Rzav, at the Jablanica stream. The plant, owned by a private company, sporadically pays around 50 KM (around 25 euros) per month to the municipality’s budget in concession fees, while on the other hand, the watercourse is devastated, local roads are destroyed, and sustainable use of the area is no longer possible.
7/7 hydroelectric plants halted on the Rzav!
The Rzav is free!
The Center for Environment has supported the fight of citizens and local communities against the construction of small hydropower plants from the very beginning. Besides highligthning the harmful effects of these projects through a campaign advocating for the suspension of the construction of small hydropower plants on the rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we also conducted biological research on the Rzav River with the aim of gathering arguments to prove the high biological value of this area.