Imagine strolling by Belgrade's chic Waterfront neighborhood, only to be hit by a foul smell 💩 wafting from a stream pouring directly into the Sava River. Yikes! That's the reality for Serbia's capital, where sewage pollution is making a big splash—literally.
Locals who own floating summer homes on the river are now thinking twice before taking a dip. \"It stinks. Every year is worse than the previous one; we don't even buy fish from the Danube and Sava,\" says Dejan Nikolic, a homeowner on the Sava who hasn't swum in the river for years. 😷🐟
Belgrade is already infamous for its smoggy skies, thanks to old cars and coal plants. But the pollution party doesn't stop there. The city dumps enough untreated sewage each year to fill 60,000 Olympic swimming pools! 🏊♂️ That's a lot of yuck threatening wildlife downstream and painting Belgrade as one of Europe's top polluters.
Why all this mess? A lack of treatment plants means that only 15% of urban wastewater is processed, way below the over 90% target Serbia needs to hit before joining the European Union. And it's not just Serbia—other Balkan countries like Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina are in the same boat. 🚢
\"Serbia ranks lowest in Europe in this category,\" says Mirko Popovic from the Belgrade-based Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute. It's a messy situation that complicates Serbia's EU dreams and puts the environment at risk. 🌍💔
For now, anglers notice fish stocks dwindling, and residents fear the waters they once loved. The Sava and Danube rivers, iconic to Belgrade's identity, need a serious cleanup. Let's hope the tides turn soon! 🙏🌊
Reference(s):
Foul-smelling wastewater in Serbia adds to environmental woes
cgtn.com
