Montenegro Environmental Infrastructure Project

It used to be so bad that we had to have tanker trucks bring water in, ” Deputy Headmaster

Aluminium plant contaminates drinking water in the valley

Till recently, Biljana Krkotic never knew what "surprise" her taps would deliver. Would the water come with pebbles? Would it be full of foam? Or would it be mixed with red mud? Since November 2003, this resident of Zeta valley near Montenegro's capital, hasn't had to worry. The water has been consistently clean and healthy, and it tastes good too.

“Everything is great now. The new system has helped us a lot,” says Biljana. The kids in nearby Milan Vukotic elementary school are also happy, now that their drinking water is no longer polluted by the local aluminum plant. “It used to be so bad that we had to have tanker trucks bring water in," says the school's deputy headmaster. "We are sure now that our children will not get poisoned when drinking tap water.”

Before the World Bank-supported project, residents got their water either from local wells or from Moraca, the biggest river in the Republic of Montenegro, the smaller partner in the union of Serbia and Montenegro. But an aluminum plant had contaminated the soil, air, and spring water in and around the Zeta Valley, home to 30,000 people.

World Bank grant helps residents to build a new water supply system

The situation spurred Montenegro's authorities to decide to build a new water system, one that would connect the valley with the capital, Podgorica.The price tag was US$ 1.35 million. The World Bank financed the purchase of pipes and other equipment through a US$ 668,000 grant. The Government of Montenegro and municipal agencies contributed funds as well. This was the first World Bank project in Montenegro, after Serbia and Montenegro (then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) rejoined the Bank on May 8, 2001.

Today the people of Zeta Valley are happy—they even joke about the water they drink. They say it is difficult to decide which one is of better quality: the “new” water or loza, a famous local brandy.