Montenegro has taken all the necessary measures from the environment aspect – all the remediation plans have been developed, inspection authorities continuously follow if measures from the Environment Impact Assessment Survey are being implemented, and examination of the quality of water is carried out at monthly and quarterly level. Biological monitoring aimed at analyzing living world in the waters of Tara river has been enhanced and, most importantly, potential damage to this eco-system will undergo remediation process. In that context, we are carefully following construction of the highway, said Director general of the Directorate for the Environment, Ms Ivana Vojinović, at today’ panel entitled “Impact of the highway on the environment”.
Ms Vojinović stressed complexity of this capital project and said that Montenegro had identified and defined great number of competent bodies and instances in charge of monitoring and supervising execution of works.
“Activities of competent state authorities guarantee that so far works have been carried out in accordance with the construction permit and that every irregularity or deviation from the prescribed measures has been sanctioned”, Ms Vojinović said.
She pointed out that ecological consent had obliged the contractor, CRBC company, to act in accordance with the measures of environment protection.
“A special measure refers to constant monitoring of the environment from the beginning to the middle of the execution of works. In that context, relevant supervisory authorities continuously supervise”, Ms Vojinović pointed out.
She also stressed that there had been no irregularities identified.
Currently, there are two procedures of the establishment of environmental damage, initiated before the Agency for the Protection of Nature and Environment.
“Procedures refer to water devastation near Uvač 4 bridge and bridges 26 and 27, where CRBC is supposed to develop a Remediation plan and Program for monitoring the environment after the implementation of remediation measures”, Ms Vojinović said.
Ms Vojinović said that any development undertaking , especially one of such complexity “must have certain impact on the environment”.
“We have envisaged that in all technical documents. The country has envisaged potential negative and harmful effects of this infrastructure feat and it has defined recovery and remediation measures to be implemented after the completion of works”, Ms Vojinović said.
