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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Presentation of project on reducing Danube pollution

Belgrade, 6 February 2006

The Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management presented today a project themed "Danube River Enterprise Pollution Reduction (DREPR)", which will be implemented within four years. The aim is to assist livestock farms and slaughterhouses in reducing pollution of the Danube basin.

Ivana Dulic-Markovic

Author: Fonet

At a promotion held today at the Deputies' Club, Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Ivana Dulic-Markovic said that in Serbia there is a pressing need for promoting agricultural practice that does not pollute the Danube basin. That is to be achieved through this $22 million-worth project.

She pointed out that the greatest threats to the Danube basin, as far as farming is concerned, come from misuse and improper waste disposal, as well as discharge of wastewaters. Dulic-Markovic recalled that among 13 countries in the Danube region Serbia-Montenegro is the third biggest nitrogen polluter and the second biggest phosphorus polluter.

Dulic-Markovic explained that this project is directly aimed at reducing pollution of the Danube and its tributaries caused by wastewaters from livestock farms, especially pig and cattle farms, as well as reducing waste discharges from slaughterhouses.

In that respect, she announced that concrete methods of pollution reduction will be demonstrated on model farms that will be chosen on the territories of the Sabac, Vrbas, Pozarevac and Novi Sad municipalities.

According to Dulic-Markovic, the official beginning of the project themed "Danube River Enterprise Pollution Reduction (DREPR)" has been financed by the World Bank and the Investment Fund for Nutrient Reduction in the Black Sea/Danube Basin (GEF). The project will be implemented by the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, and has been drafted by the Serbian Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection - Directorate for Environmental Protection.

The World Bank and GEF donated $9 million for the project. Financial support has also been provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), which has contributed $4 million. The European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) also provided financial support to the project.