Neretva River

Problems

Urban and industrial development, agriculture and hydropower plant construction and other hydro-technical structures had great impact on ecosystems in some parts of the Neretva river basin. Some of the major issues in the basin are the following:

Most settlements and industrial capacities have no wastewater treatment and discharge their wastewater directly into the river.
Inadequate water management by hydro-power plants and associated water reservoir, causing decreased sedimentation, increased erosion of the river bed, frequent and rapid water level and temperature changes, and water shortages in summer.
Water supply systems cannot meet the needs of the consumers during the summer season due to lack of adequate water resources, but also due to obsolete infrastructure and high leaks in water distribution systems.
Regular dumping sites where the waste is disposed are often placed near the river, and in most cases are used without special protective measures.
Illegal dumping sites where the waste is disposed by the river banks, influencing its quality.
Surface water (at the lower course) is polluted by fertilizers and chemicals from agriculture.
Land use changes and habitat loss caused by amelioration of the terrain to gain agricultural land.
Protected marshes, ornithological and ichthyologic reserves are not adequately financed and managed.
Unclear division of responsibilities within different administrative levels and different administrative units, institutional, human resources and financial problems in the B&H water sector resulted, among others, in insufficiently developed, not-harmonized and non-systematic monitoring.
Stakeholder participation in planning processes, public debates, provision of public campaigns, in the Neretva river basin is growing, but still is relatively poor. Civil sector is developing in BiH, and NGO sector is becoming a very active player in the environmental sector, what is very important since the coming years will bring preparations of Neretva river basin plan

Ramska hidroelektrana na Rami, pritoci Neretve, Bosna i Hercegovina