Today is March 22nd, World Water Day, and we marked it together with local residents, hikers, activists, and all citizens who chose to raise their voices against the construction of a small hydropower plant on the Duboka River — a river adorned with cascades and waterfalls, among which the most beautiful is the Skakavac waterfall.
A peaceful protest by citizens and environmental organizations was held in the Grabovica local community near Kotor Varoš at the symbolic time of five minutes to noon, or 11:55 AM, at the Okretaljka location in the village of Duboka. The message from the gathering was once again clear: “We won’t give up a single drop of Duboka!”
Tomo Dubočanin, president of the Coalition for Protection of the Duboka River, emphasized that the past year was full of activities aimed at protecting the Duboka River.
Among other things, he noted that the Homeland Association “Srpska Duboka” was established and submitted an initiative to have the canyon of the Duboka River and the river itself declared a protected area. This initiative was accepted by the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage. Additionally, numerous letters and petitions were submitted in relation to the Duboka case, seeking to stop the construction of the small hydropower plant due to numerous irregularities and the fact that the area is of high natural value. However, the responses were mostly silence or bureaucratic passing of responsibility. Despite this, he declared that not an inch of the river would be given up and that all means would be used to oppose the project and preserve the Duboka River.
Vladimir Topić from the Center for Environment reiterated that small hydropower plants demonstrably benefit only a few individuals while causing significant harm to people and nature. He pointed out that the documents related to the MHP Duboka project were contradictory, the project itself full of controversies, and that the chosen location overlaps with private properties, which created both legal and environmental issues.
“We’ve been actively fighting for over a year to preserve the Duboka River, and we will continue to fight. Small hydropower plants and their operators make excessive profits, leaving nothing for the rest of us. Today is World Water Day, a time to reflect on what water means to us. Water is our greatest treasure. The past two years have been the driest in our country’s history. We’re facing either floods or droughts, and we now have scientific data showing that our springs are drying up, even in a country rich in water resources. Under such conditions, we must protect our water — we want to preserve Duboka, and we will stay committed to that goal. We won’t give up Duboka and will continue to fight alongside the local community to the end. If this project continues, the next protest will be held in front of the ministry and Kotor Varoš municipality! The message is clear: You can’t have our land, our canyon, our river, or our water!” Topić declared.
The gathering was also attended by representatives of the Kotor Varoš municipality and Nemanja Knežević, director of the Kotor Varoš Tourist Organization, who expressed full support for the efforts of the local population and announced that the tourist organization would work on improving the Skakavac waterfall area and defend the Duboka River.
“I don’t want to give up a single drop of Duboka. The Skakavac waterfall is certainly one of the most important tourist attractions in the Kotor Varoš municipality. We must protect, preserve, and care for Duboka and Skakavac for future generations. No outsider should tread on Duboka or the Skakavac waterfall!” said Knežević.
Speakers at the protest also included representatives of mountaineering clubs, who voiced their support for the locals and pledged to defend the river together with them. Poems and speeches from several residents, deeply connected to the river, were also read aloud.
As a reminder, the company “Hunting Energy” d.o.o. from Kneževo plans to build a mini hydropower plant on the Duboka River near the Skakavac waterfall in the canyon area. The documentation for the MHP Duboka is riddled with irregularities and contradictions, and the process has been marked by numerous illegal actions.
The construction of the MHP would devastate the Skakavac waterfall and the Duboka River canyon — areas that, according to amendments to the Spatial Plan of Republika Srpska, are designated for protection. Thousands of tourists visit this area annually, especially hikers, for whom a mountain lodge has also been built. Last year, local residents, hikers, and environmentalists joined forces to form the Coalition for Protection of the Duboka River.
Interestingly, the same ministry that issued all the permits also accepted the initiative submitted by the Homeland Association “Srpska Duboka” to protect this area and forwarded it to the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage to begin developing a Protection Study that would assess the value of the proposed area.
To gather evidence and arguments for protecting this area, the Center for Environment will, in cooperation with the Homeland Association “Srpska Duboka,” conduct scientific research in the coming period to document the biodiversity, flora, and fauna of this region.
The Duboka River flows through Kneževo and Kotor Varoš and feeds into the Vrbanja River. It is rich in brown trout and features numerous cascades and two waterfalls, attracting many visitors.
Photo credit: Ivan Bojanić, David Pajić