Problems
The Lim is a river that flows through Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and is 219 km long. It is also the right and the longest tributary of the Drina.
Create a regional initiative to solve the problem
Environmental protection continues to present challenges in Serbia, inadequate waste management being one of the most serious threats to the environment. River pollution, poor waste management in areas that can affect rivers, and illegal dumping are significant problems. UNDP Serbia needs help in identifying the exact locations and volume of waste along the rivers and thus provide input for the plans to remove the sources of pollution and prevent creation of new ones. This initiative is a part of UNDP’s support to the Serbian Ministry of Environmental Protection in their efforts to tackle the problem of floating waste in rivers, in particular in the Drina and Lim rivers. The Serbian ministry cooperates with environmental ministries in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro in a joint regional initiative, since the Drina and the Lim are transboundary rivers. An important aspect of the required support is mapping the illegal dump sites along the riverbeds.
Causes of pollution of the Lim River
This waste gets into streams at times when water level rises, thus causing environmental harm to watercourses downstream, as well as economic losses (e.g. lost revenues from hydropower electricity generation, tourism, fishing, shipping).
Actions taken to solve the problem
The UNDP Serbia project is in the concept phase. Apart from mapping (illegal) dump sites, the initiative also includes actions aimed at improving local waste management practices, local actions, and development of a roadmap for resource mobilisation by municipalities. UNDP Serbia is also coordinating the plans with the Ministry of Environmental Protection in order to exploit the synergy with their ongoing efforts on improving waste management nationally and regionally.
Gallery
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Timelines
2022
In southwestern Serbia, construction machinery is being repurposed to clear tons of garbage clogging Lake Potpech Year after year, during the winter months, the lake near the southwestern Serbian town of Priboj fills up with tons of trash, such as plastic bottles, rusty barrels, dead animals, and even furniture or appliances. This is because the Lim River, which flows into the lake, swells in winter and picks up garbage from dozens of illegal dumps along its banks as it flows from Montenegro to Serbia.
2021
February 16
Today, there are more than 270 illegal landfills near the Lim. Today, there are more than 270 illegal landfills near the Lim. A study conducted by CIN-CG showed that, even though the Lim has been declared a river of national importance and despite the warnings of experts and the obligations from the Negotiating Chapter 27, the state institutions do little to improve the current situation. A study of the ecosystems of the rivers Lim, Ljubovidja, and Bistrica, published shows that the pollution was mostly caused by industrial and communal waters, while poaching also contributed to the depletion of fish stocks.
January 10
In Priboja, a project to clean up wild waste dumps along the Lim River as part of the Cross-Border Cooperation Program of the municipalities of Bijelo Pole in north-east Montenegro and Priboj in south-west Serbia has been completed. Two municipalities, with donations from the European Union, eliminated 12 illegal dumps on the coast of Lima, six in Bijelo Pol and six in Priboj.
2020
December 31
Lake Potpech in Serbia turned into a water dump when tons of garbage piled up near the dam. The debris probably came from one of the landfills along the Lim River. According to one of the residents, poor waste management has been causing problems in the community for a long time.