Since April 2023, crayfish and the citizens of Prijepolje have been waiting for the declaration of the Ratajska river basin as a protected natural resource. On that occasion, 800 citizens and 16 associations signed a petition against the construction of a small hydropower plant (MHP) “Velika Ploča” on the mentioned river and demanded its protection. Even though the investigations of the Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia for the purpose of protection were started, this did not prevent the investor from obtaining a new energy permit and continuing his activities, which are contrary to the goals of river protection and the will of the locals.
As early as the beginning of 2023, experts determined that the Ratajska River represents an important habitat for strictly protected species, such as crayfish, Greek frogs, whitefish and trout, while the local population uses this water for drinking and irrigation. Despite these facts, the plans for the construction of the MHE are still in the Spatial Plan of the municipality of Prijepolje, although the citizens have clearly expressed their opposition through a petition and a series of publicly and clearly stated demands for a ban.
The initiative for the protection of Ratajska, in addition to the residents of the villages of Ratajska, Ravna and the citizens of Prijepolje, was also supported by a crayfish who invites everyone to follow him in defense of his centuries-old perch and starts a torrent of dahlias.
What kind of call is this?
Strahinja Macić, a member of the Right to Water initiative and a lawyer for the political ecology organization Polekol, wrote epic verses and, like ancient fiddlers, sang what was on the crayfish’s soul and through his verses called on all citizens of Serbia to support the protection of the Ratajska River and the strictly protected crayfish.
THE BEGINNING OF THE TORQUE ON DAHIJI
In the days when Ratajska
investors struck,
When the days had come
so that there will be no more rivers,
Plan Cancer like lightning,
his pincers fly,
and two eyes like arrows
sijenuše in a stream hajduk.
And under its troctolite stone
with heavy thoughts he leaves.
Roar like a wounded lion,
Should the river run out of water?!
Injustice burns him, it hurts;
Don’t let Cancer stay.
without the habitat he loves!
So in anger he grabs the fiddle,
The thin strings resonated,
Cluck Cancer like a hawk,
so he swears by his mother, Cetna
that he will go to the city of Prijepolje,
alone, without anyone, on the same day,
and at the call of the mighty one
builder of large dams.
Throw down the fiddle, take up the nut,
The waters flow across Lim,
and in a mad rage
He went across the field to the city.
As befits him,
chooses the biggest eaters;
at the hardest bureaucratic odds,
to the city’s fiercest villains.
Arriving unexpectedly
the investor was pleased.
“How are you this morning, Racic?”
he said in a happier voice.
“We welcome you with open arms,
Ratajka will flow through the pipes,
We will build you a path,
Long live you, you rascal,
“Believe me, nothing will happen!”
Plan Rak: “Enough!
Don’t fool around unnecessarily;
I am Dosha, investor,
“I challenge you to a duel!”
Those words like lightning
hit the investor.
Fades before Cancer
from the heroic Karoševina,
because he knew that from the pliers
His people die easily.
He must not accept the challenge,
he is scared for his head,
and to glory and the future
Forget your defenses.
These epic verses are conjured up with images, voice and music by the creative team consisting of director and editor Tijana Petrović, voice actors and music by Gala Šalipur and Fedor Đorović.
Who is the crayfish that heartily calls for the defense of the Ratajka River?
Brook crayfish ( Austropotamobius torrentium ) is a strictly protected species in Serbia and an important indicator of clean water. It inhabits cold, clear streams and rivers with gravel and rocky bottoms, but its survival is threatened by pollution, the construction of mini-hydroelectric plants and other invasive crustacean species. This species plays a key role in the ecosystem as it contributes to the decomposition of organic matter and the maintenance of ecological balance. A prerequisite for the protection of this species is the preservation of the natural watercourses of the Ratajska River.
The Polekol Citizens’ Association, the Right to Water and Let’s Protect the Prijepolje River initiatives are unwavering in their intention to protect the Prijepolje River for nature and people together with the citizens, and appeal to the Prijepolje Municipal Assembly to pass a Decision prohibiting the construction of the MHP on the territory of this municipality, as well as to the Institute for Nature Protection of Serbia and the Ministry of Environmental Protection to declare the Ratajska River basin protected without delay.