Plastic, sofas, medical waste: Bosnia’s river nightmare returns

Last updated:
37 minutes ago

Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing another winter waste crisis as thousands of cubic metres of rubbish pile up behind the debris barrier at the Visegrad hydro plant. Swollen rivers carry plastic, furniture and even medical waste from illegal dumps in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro, with an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 cubic metres arriving each season.

Heavy machinery has worked non stop since late January to clear the Drina, but activists say the same scene repeats every year.

Much of the waste ends up burned at Visegrad’s landfill, raising health concerns. Local groups warn tourism is suffering and call for regional action to stop dumping upstream.

Cleanup operations using cranes and barges are expected to last at least six months, as they have every year for the past two decades.