A team of workers descended upon an artificial lake in Serbia today to clear the vast stretch of waste floating on its surface.
Two barges sailed up and down the polluted waters to collect the thick layer of plastic and waste that had accumulated at the foot of the Lim River hydro-electric power plant on the Potpeć Reservoir in southwest Serbia following heavy rains earlier this year.
The river Lim has carried in more than 20,000 cubic metres of plastics from unregulated dumps along its banks in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia, according to activists.
This morning workers began to remove the swathes of waste, dubbed the ‘Potpeć accumulation’, covering the lake’s surface after authorities in Belgrade ordered an immediate clean-up.
Operators collected up to 100 cubic metres of plastic and other waste before taking it to a landfill about 80km away.
A worker removes pieces of plastic floating on the surface of the Potpeć Reservoir in southwest Serbia after authorities order an immediate clean-up
A member of staff arrives to the polluted area after a thick layer of plastic and waste accumulated at the foot of the Lim River hydro-electric power plant
A team of workers begin to clean the thick player of waste after authorities before taking it to a landfill about 80km away
‘This problem is years old and it is difficult to say who is responsible, … from its source, the Lim river … flows through three states,’ Dragan Ljeljen, a official from the nearby town of Priboj, told Reuters.
To counter the problem, Serbia’s Environment Minister, Irena Vujovic, and officials from Montenegro and Bosnia agreed on Monday to coordinate efforts to prevent further pollution.
In Priboj, environmental activist Slavisa Lakovic said the persistent pollution was harming wildlife and fish in the lake.
‘Piling up trash affects the quality of water and reduces the quantity of oxygen in it … animals are coming to the banks to rummage through trash,’ he said.
Last week cranes and building machinery were sent to the lake in Serbia to clear the thick layer of waste covering its surface.
Serbia, like the other Balkan nations, is overwhelmed by communal waste after decades of neglect and lack of efficient waste-management policies.
The formation of waste, dubbed the ‘Potpeć accumulation’, amassed following heavy snow and rain in December and January. The swollen waterways swept over landfill sites, carrying the waste to the foot of the dam.
The surface of the lake became covered in a thick layer of waste ranging from plastics to rusty metal scraps, tree trunks and even reportedly a coffin.
The garbage has been swept downstream by the Lim River, which feeds the Potpeć’s 150ft tall and 700ft long dam.
Workers stand near the polluted Potpeć Reservoir in southwest Serbia as a major clean-up operation is ordered by the authorities
A worker operates machinery as two barges sail up and down the polluted waters to collect the thick layer of plastic and waste
The river Lim has carried in more than 20,000 cubic metres of plastics from unregulated dumps along its banks in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia, according to activists
A member of staff collects the vast stretch of plastic and waste from the lake in Serbia after a thick layer of plastic and waste accumulated at the foot of the Lim River hydro-electric power plant following heavy rains earlier this year
A man looks at the layer of plastic pollution on the artificial lake as the a team of workers arrive to the reservoir
The Lim originates in neighbouring Montenegro, passing through several municipalities and their waste sites in both Montenegro and Serbia.
‘Based on a recent study, we found out that in these towns, in the five municipalities in Montenegro and three in Serbia, about 45,000 tons of waste are collected (per year),’ said Predrag Saponjic, the Lim River hydropower plant system manager.
Looking at the rubbish-strewn lake, he added that ‘even if only a fraction of that waste ends up in the Lim River, we get this.’
Environmentalists in the Balkans have warned that because most landfills aren’t managed properly they leak toxic materials into rivers, threatening ecosystems and wildlife.
Bosnia too has reported a garbage pileup that endangers the hydroelectric dam on the Drina River, near the eastern town of Visegrad.
A locator map shows the Potpeć Reservoir, which sits along the Lim River, in southwest Serbia
Plastic bottles and rubbish float in an island of rubbish, dubbed the Potpeć accumulation by officials, on Friday. Serbia and other Balkan nations are drowning in communal waste after decades of inefficient waste-management and neglect
Huge cranes clear tons of garbage stuck at the foot of the Lim River hydro-electric power plant on the Potpeć Lake in southwest Serbia last week. The rubbish amassed after heavy rains swelled waterways and swept over landfill sites, dragging the waste with it
A boat pushes tons of garbage stuck at the foot of the hydro-electric power plant on the Potpeć lake in southwest Serbia. Heavy snow and rain in December and January caused waterways to swell and sweep over landfill sites. The waste was picked up and driven along the river to the foot of the Lim River hydro power dam
A rubbish collector walks among a landfill site near the Potpeć accumulation as ignited waste blows out a thick plume of smoke on Friday. The Potpeć accumulation is an island of tons of waste at the foot of the Lim River hydro-electric power plant, which formed after waste was swept along Serbia’s Lim River following heavy rains in December and January
A boat directs rubbish stuck at the foot of the Lim River hydro power plant on Potpeć lake as a crane reaches into the water to collect bottles, rusty metal, and other waste. The thick layer of waste included tree trunks, and even a coffin, according to reports
A man looks on as a pile of rubbish collected from the Potpeć accumulation burns behind him, near Priboj, in southwest Serbia, on Friday. The Lim River, which feeds Potpeć Lake, originates in neighbouring Montenegro. It passes through several landfill sites in both countries
A truck, surrounded by tons of communal waste, unloads more collected from the waters at the Potpeć accumulation near Priboj, southwest Serbia on Friday. The Lim River, which begins in neighbouring Montenegro, feeds Potpeć Lake and has been delivering waste to the accumulation since heavy rains and snow in December and January
A rubbish collector searches for recyclable material at the landfill near the Potpeć accumulation, neat Priboj, in southwest Serbia on Friday. Serbia and the other Balkan nations are drowning in communal waste after decades of neglect and lack of efficient waste-management policies
A fisherman prepares his boat, removing rubbish from its hull, at Potpeć lake in southwest Serbia on Friday. A thick layer of waste has settled on the lake, leading officials to call it the Potpeć accumulation
Tons of plastic bottles and other waste float at the Potpeć accumulation, a formation of tons of communal rubbish at the foot of the Lim River hydro-electric dam on Potpeć Lake in southwest Serbia on Friday
A boat pushes tons of rubbish stuck at the foot of the hyrdo-electric dam on Potpeć Lake. Each year, 45,000 tons of waste are collected from the five municipalities along the Lim River, according to the Lim River power plant’s manager, Predrag Saponji
The Lim is one of the tributaries of the Drina, which makes their waterways — and garbage flows — closely connected.
The two emerald-coloured rivers — the Drina flows along the border between Serbia and Bosnia — during summer are favoured by adventurers and water rafters who enjoy the winding waterways and seemingly pristine nature.
While Balkan nations have been struggling to recover following a series of wars and crises in the 1990s, environmental issues often come last for the countries whose economies are lagging far behind the rest of Europe and where public funds are vulnerable to widespread corruption.
Boats channel tons of garbage towards waiting cranes for the waste to be lifted out of the Potpeć Lake, near Priboj in southwest Serbia. The Balkan nations, which have struggled to recover following a series of bloody wars and crises during the 1990s, are lagging behind the rest of the world in relation to environmental issues
Jugoslav Jovanovic, from Serbia’s state-run Srbijavode company that is in charge of the country’s water system, put the waste problem down to ‘our neglect and lack of care.’ Landfills are located too close to rivers and are overfilled rather than closed down over the years, he warned.
‘If we find ourselves forced to do this year after year, then that’s not really a solution,’ he said of the clearing operation. ‘We must find common ground and solve this by joining forces.’
Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia have held meetings on the issue but little has been done. The Balkan countries also face other environmental emergencies, including dangerous levels of air pollution in many cities.
A man crouches as the boat he’s controlling pushes a mass of waste along the water surface at the Potpeć Lake near Priboj in southwest Serbia. Environmental issues tend to be the last concerns for countries with lagging economies. The economies of the Balkan nations are far behind other European countries, and public funds are vulnerable to widespread corruption
A man walks near to tons of garbage amassed on Potpeć lake, which has been dubbed the Potpeć accumulation. The Lim River is crammed with 45,000 tons of communal waste each year, according to the power plant’s manager
An image taken on Friday shows a view of a crane as it prepares to hoist tons of communal waste from the Potpeć Lake near Priboj, in southwest Serbia. The Balkan nations are also trying to combat other environmental emergencies, including dangerous levels of air pollution in many cities
Experts predict the clearing of Potpec lake will take few weeks, depending on the weather. However, all the garbage from the water will end up again on a landfill in western Serbia.
Goran Rekovic, an activist from the nearby town of Priboj, said raising public awareness about pollution is a key goal, along with ‘institutional and systematic’ solutions. These are needed also if Serbia and other Balkan countries wish to move closer to EU membership.
‘This is not European Union’s obligation. We should not be doing this for them,’ Rekovic said. ‘The reason why we should take care of our environment is for our own future generations.’