Residents of the Tuzla Canton (TC) have not yet tackled the problem of excessive air pollution, and now the new danger is posed by the carcinogenic river waters which contaminate fish and agricultural lands.
Everyone is aware that complex environmental pollution problems cannot be solved overnight, but it is defeating that no specific steps have been taken regarding this issue.
Large number of cars and individual solid fuel fireboxes are just some of the reasons for the extremely unhealthy air. This is greatly contributed by the industry, which has a double negative effect, because besides air it also pollutes water and soil.
The industrial pollution of Spreca river and Modrac lake has been going on for several years, however there are no specific improvements in order to reduce pollution. Of particular concern is the excessive concentration of carcinogens which contaminate fish and agricultural lands in the waters of Spreca and Modrac, as it was established up to now.
A research conducted by the Center for Ecology and Energy in Tuzla yields shocking data which, as a result, show the threat for the lives of citizens. The study addressed some of the physicochemical parameters which are necessary to estimate the watercourse quality of Spreca river and water quality of Lake Modrac.
According to the content of suspended substances, river Spreca is classified in the worst category of watercourses in this report, while the water quality analysis of Modrac lake indicates a high concentration of total phosphorus and nitrogen, which indicates that this lake is in a trophic state, with a significant input of suspended substances into the lake, as it was determined.
High concentrations of heavy metals were found in the analyzed samples of river Spreca. Extremely high concentration of arsenic, lead and cadmium are particularly noticeable. Lead, nickel and cadmium have also been found in the water of Modrac lake, which represents a serious water pollution and can cause a long-term negative impact on the ecosystem of the lake, Klix.ba news portal reports.