The administration of the Una National Park and the citizens of Bihać are determined to prevent the construction of a hydropower plant at the source of the Una River in the town of Donja Suvaja in the Republic of Croatia. The fight has been going on since the first day when the excavators appeared, and yesterday a peaceful protest was held by a group of citizens from Bihać together with the residents of Donja Suvaja. The message of the gathering is “We don’t give Una.”
Going to the protest was organized by the Una National Park, and those gathered together raised their voices against ecocide, illegal activities and planned construction. The strong message of the rally, “We don’t give the Una!”, echoed among the protest participants, who showed their love for the Una river and solidarity with their friends from Donja Suvaja.
Acting director of the Una National Park, Alen Zulić, pointed out in a statement to Fena that they have been involved in this fight since the first day when the excavator came to the source of the Una.
“We received an invitation from a friend from Croatia, considering that for them it is a protected zone and a contact zone with the Una National Park, and we reacted immediately. We know that there are no boundaries in nature, and everything that is done upstream, practically the consequences are immediately felt downstream here in Bihać and Krajina,” Zulić points out.
He further explained that the reaction with BiH. parties from Bihać went promptly, and that the chief supervisor of the Una National Park, together with the inspector of the Bihać Cantonal Administration for Inspection Affairs, went to the field and recorded everything that was being done there.
“The information is amazing, all the more so since the works were announced for 2025, and the excavator has already gone down into the riverbed and practically closed one branch with gravel where concrete is already expected. At the same moment, we made a report, and the inspector forwarded it to the prime minister of the Una-Sana Canton, the relevant Ministry of Construction and the Environment, and further to Sarajevo at the highest level and the state parliament, as well as to the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Staša Košarc, who now has to reacts on that issue”, says Zulić.
It was found that there are changes in the flora and fauna, and everything that makes up the biodiversity of the National Park, where certain turbidity was observed in the river Una. They have already been to Donja Suvaja several times, and this is the third trip that has been organized in somewhat larger numbers.
“We could not be organizers of protests in a neighboring country, especially since the Republic of Croatia is in the European Union, but we joined the locals in the number of about a hundred people. What we could really see this time was the ultimate ecocide a hundred meters from the source of the Una, the excavator is located in the place where a small waterfall used to be, and the damage that has been done is already irreparable. Our goal is to do everything so that what has been done so far is not worse. It is completely unclear that Croatia, which is a signatory to all possible acts, especially by entering the legislation of the European Union where all intentions are aimed at the protection of nature, allows something like this”, underlines Zulić.
He adds that the residents of Donja Suvaja and the associations that were on site yesterday gave him information that the identification number of the company performing the works is incorrect and that the construction company registered there does not exist at all, and that the works are intended to be carried out in 2025. started in 2024.
“In the true sense, a red line has been crossed, which we from the neighboring country are trying to draw attention to. Of course, we don’t do it by accident. The Una-Sana Canton is the largest user of the Una River, which passes through Martin Brod, Bihać, passes through Bosanska Krupa and continues to Bosanski Nova, and if we add to that the problem of Trgovska Gora and the problems with the construction of the radioactive waste dump and what is happening now in it is very indicative of the very source of Una, and we will do everything to prevent it”, says Zulić.
If this problem cannot be solved with the Republic of Croatia, Zulić says that he will have to turn to the European Union as well, because he believes that this is the only way to stop the works if there is not enough understanding on the neighboring side.
Source: akta.ba
