The right to water
Water is a basic human right, not a privilege. In this category, we explore topics related to the availability, management and protection of water as a common good. Through articles, analyzes and reviews, we address the issues of privatization of water resources, the impact of climate change, local water conservation initiatives, as well as the legislative frameworks that shape our right to access clean and safe water.
Most of the course of the Studenica River lies within the “Golija–Studenica” Biosphere Reserve, which was designated in 2001 as Serbia’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The inaccessible terrain carved by the Studenica River has contributed to the preservation of a rich diversity of plant and animal life. This area has exceptional natural and cultural value and is rich in endemic and relict species—species that exist only in a limited area and those that have survived here since ancient times.
Organisations Polekol, Europa Nostra Serbia, and the local initiative from Ušće - Save Studenica have submitted an official initiative to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris, warning of the increasingly serious pressures that threaten to irreversibly damage one of the most valuable parts of Serbia’s cultural and natural heritage: the Studenica River basin and the cultural landscape surrounding the Studenica Monastery, a jewel of Serbian heritage recognized and inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1986.
At the public session of the Commission for Plans of the municipality of Boljevac, held on the occasion of considering objections to the Draft Spatial Plan, Iskra Krstić and Žaklina…
In the period from October 24 to 26 of this year, a gathering of activists was held in Bijeljina and
activists united in the regional alliance "Defend the rivers of the Balkans" which brings together
organizations and movements that oppose harmful projects on our rivers, forests,
pastures and in our homelands.
The Tvrđava Movement and the Right to Water initiative toured the Danube and Ježava rivers in Smederevo together. We witnessed firsthand what rivers mean to urban environments—and how they are threatened by industrial pollution and untreated municipal wastewater.
To experience the atmosphere of the Pliva springs is to be reminded of the world and the values that nature defenders are fighting to protect! The Pliva is one of the largest sources of drinking water in Europe. Unfortunately, this environment is also under threat of destruction. While old stone houses and a few cottages do not significantly harm the landscape and ecosystem, their very existence is now overshadowed by the threat of two small hydropower plants. SHPP “Jovići” is maliciously planned at a fragile rock gorge, cherished by both locals and visitors. The other, SHPP “Kužo 1,” threatens one of the larger springs, planned just a few dozen meters away from it.
