Protecting river Cetina
Cetina is 101 km long river in southern Croatia and it is essential part of culture and history of my hometown Sinj. What is most important it is practically “infinite” source of clean drinking water – something we can really appreciate in 21th century.
In 1958 artifical lake Peruća was build, with surface area of 13 km2 and with 560 billions liters of clean drinkable water.
Vis Viva
In 2016 the private project Vis Viva started, with goal to build natural gas power plant, which would have possible environmental effects on water and environment, with 280 000 liters of waste water everyday (that would go directly in lake Peruća and mix with drinkable water) and with exhaust gases rate of 621 kilograms per second! All that in the environment which is ecological preserved and capable for all sort of bio-production.
Immediately, people of city of Sinj and surroundings started to organize. Ante Janković and others made a first steps. Janković immediately organized petition against this project, and later Mislav Cvitković joined and did an initial calculation of energy flow and waste flow, and results made him very worried. Later he consulted with dozens of engineers and scientist, who supported his calculations and gave him additional information which supported thesis that natural gas power plant would have negative influence on the environment.
I, on the other hand, although physicist by education, was not interested in calculations at all. I rejected this idea a prirori. I rejected it because I am environmentalist, and this technology is based on fossil fuels, and because I am socialist, and this is private project that would made an tremendous influence on Croatian energetic system. So I signed a petition from the beginning and publicly expressed my opposition to this project.
What was my part in all this?
Cvitković invited me to be a part of the small group of people who formally fought against this, one billion euros worth, project. I was not in Croatia, but I accepted. Since I have accepted, I tried my best to do something useful. So I did following:
– I lobbied with local social-democratic party and they, eventually, gave their support to our cause (it was a very brave decision by Ante Milanović, and very honest one; I wish we had more honest politicians like he is);
– I wrote several articles about this problem;
– I designed and created web page for our cause, Facebook page, twitter account, etc;
– I took a few days to go in Zagreb and meet with president of Social-Democratic Party of Croatia, Davor Bernardić (main Croatian opposition party), to explain him the problem. Nikola Vučković, Jerko Breko and Ante Milanović were on this meeting too. Bernardić promised that he will act, and even that he will start this topic in the Croatian Parliament as soon as possible;
– Later, with Jelena Bakić, I tried to connect with some influential people;
– During all this, I was constantly updating our social networks and I followed information flow from dozens of different sources.
Happy end?
Lots of the people, who have origins from Sinj, took a part in this cause: from businessmen, artist, engineers, scientist, workers, politician, etc. Most of them do not live in Sinj at all but they felt obligated to do something for their hometown and to use their connections and power for good cause.
The result was: ecologically devastating private project was finally stoped. It is a nice example that people really can change something, even if this something is worth 1 billion euros and even if the half of Croatian politicians have personal interests in it.
It is good to see that Cetina and Peruća will remain same and safe.
People will breath clean air.
Water will remain clean.
Socialism will win.
(Sorry, I had to say the last sentence, it was stronger than me!)