Remediation of Veliki Bački Kanal and Sustainable Use of Resources in Its Surroundings
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
ISSN 0354-8724 (hard copy) | ISSN 1820-7138 (online) Remediation of Veliki bački kanal and sustainable use of resources in its surroundings Vladimir StojanovićA, Milana PantelićA, Dragoslav PavićA, Imre NađB Received: August 25, 2014 | Revised: October 29, 2014 | Accepted: November 14, 2014 Abstract Veliki bački kanal is one of the most polluted watercourses in Serbia and it is frequently the central top- ic of the analysis of huge ecological issues in Serbia. It was dug at the turn of the 19th century with the main purpose to drain the wetland areas in central Bačka and to enhance economic growth of the set- tlements that had been colonized several times during the 18th century. Although it is being stud- ied mostly from environment protection perspective at present, it has been changing the features of the landscape and the environment in this area. The issue of intensive pollution, predominantly from food industry, has been increasing since the second half of the 20th century. This type of pollution com- pletely diminished the canal functions planned by the project designers. Current and future canal func- tions are: drainage and flood protection, irrigation, water supply, wastewater recipient, canal traffic, fish farming, tourism (recreation) and nature protection. Remediation is crucial and fundamental prerequi- site for sustainable use or Veliki bački kanal resources. Key words: Veliki bački kanal, pollution, remediation, sustainable development, landscape, resources Introduction nal has four water gates and four ship locks: Bezdan, The construction of Veliki bački kanal at the turn of Mali Stapar, Vrbas and Bečej. The canal gets all its the 19th century was at that time one of the largest hy- water gravitationally from the Danube and also by dro-technical projects aimed at drainage of flooding means of water intake pumps near Bezdan, then grav- areas and building inland navigable routes in Europe. itationally over Bački kanal, by means of tributaries In the beginning, the canal connected the Danube near Krivaja and Beljanska bara and from the first aquifer Bački Monoštor and the Tisza near Bačko Gradište. (Likić, 2002; Pavić, et al., 2007; Public Utility “Vode Due to the relocation of the Danube waterbed dur- Vojvodine“). ing the mid 19th century, the water intake structure Veliki bački kanal is probably the water course at- was dislocated to the vicinity of Bezdan, whereas the tracting most attention of the domestic general pub- mouth was dislocated to the vicinity of Bečej due to lic regarding ecological and environment protection regulation works on the Tisza river (Milošev, 2002). issues. There have been bombastic newspaper head- Veliki bački kanal was integrated into the Hydro-sys- lines in support of this statement: Veliki Bački Kanal tem Danube-Tisza-Danube and divided into two ca- Poisoned (daily newspaper Politika, July 21, 2007), Ve- nal sections in the second half of the 20th century. The liki Bački Kanal Europe’s Black Spot (daily newspaper upstream section consists of canal Vrbas-Bezdan (80.9 Blic, November 4, 2009), Veliki Bački Kanal Coun- km), and the downstream section consists of the part try’s Stepson (daily newspaper Večernje novosti, May of the canal Bečej-Bogojevo, between Bečej and trian- 18, 2013). In general, Veliki bački kanal is one of the gle shaped area near Vrbas (39.0 km). Veliki bački ka- most frequent ecological topics in Serbia and gener- A Climatology and Hidrology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia B Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Faculty of Science, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 3, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia Geographica Pannonica • Volume 18, Issue 4, 117-123 (December 2014) 117 Remediation of Veliki bački kanal and sustainable use of resources in its surroundings al public is familiar with its significance. Despite the Wastewater release into surface water courses has numerous appeals, activities aimed at minimizing fa- reached and alarming level and become one of the se- tal environmental effects for this water course and the rious problems (Alvarez-Vázquez, et al., 2009). This surrounding area have not commenced yet. trend is the main problem of Veliki bački kanal and Significance of the topic pollution of Veliki bački ca- one of the reasons why this water course resources re- nal may be observed from the point of view that ration- main unused for local community welfare. al and conscious water utilization is among the most important segments of environment protection. The- History of digging the canal and its impact ory and practice of sustainable development describe on landscape features in central Bačka certain water issues as the ones of immense impor- tance, such as: water scarcity, water use purpose, inef- The canal digging occurred due to historical circum- ficient water use in towns, even and adjusted water dis- stances in this region during the 18th century cou- tribution, and pollution (Elliott, 2013). Solution to the pled with natural features of the surroundings and problem and water related issues are to be found in en- wider area of the Pannonian plain. At the end of the vironment management (Barrow, 2006). Water protec- 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, tion issues impacted decision making processes for a southern parts of the Pannonian plain (present Vo- series of important documents, which made water pro- jvodina) were so sparsely populated that the areas tection domain one of the most widely regulated in were leaving the impression of deserts and the areas the European Union environmental legislation. Wa- were mapped as such. This was particularly true for ter Framework Directive (WDF) from 2000, regulat- inner parts of Bačka (Popović, 1990). In 1699, Bačka ing water policy frameworks, adheres to sustainable de- became a part of Austria (Treaty of Karlovci) instead velopment and integral water management principles of Turkey. The area changed drastically from new (Pantelić, 2012). Within the EU accession process, Ser- spatial organization and new economic ideas to col- bia would need to intensify discussion on these issues onisations which had to revitalize it demographical- and such trend should not be observed only as fulfilling ly (Lazić, et al., 1998). Due to the total negligence of prescribed standards, but understood as essential pro- water courses during the Turkish reign there were cess in environment and resources protection. frequent floods and huge wetlands were formed Figure 1. Map of central and southern Bačka from 1787 with flooded settlements due to the groundwater level rise. Source: National Archives of Hungary, Budapest 118 Geographica Pannonica • Volume 18, Issue 4, 117-123 (December 2014) Vladimir Stojanović, Milana Pantelić, Dragoslav Pavić, Imre Nađ (Popović, 1996). Such situation was unfavourable for the new settlers and new economic projects - pri- marily the idea of turning this area into cultivated land; therefore certain interventions in the environ- ment were inevitable. Ethnically dominant among the settlers were Ger- mans who colonized this area on several occasions during the 18th century and remained dominant by the end of the World War II (Kicošev, et al., 2006). Wetlands threatened to spoil the success of the colo- nization in the 18th century. Huge mud areas and wet- lands were spreading around Sivac, on the bank of the present Veliki bački kanal; numerous bogs covered in reed were stretching from the time immemorial along the southern rim of Telečka visoravan, which is to- day the course of the canal (Petrović, 1978). Crna bara was stretching east from Vrbas and causing numerous th problems (Pantelić, 2012). Figure 2. Map of Bačka from the 19 century, after the The solutions to the accumulated problems in this digging of Veliki bački kanal. Wetlands are found only on the banks of the Danube and the Tisza part of Bačka were searched for in the project of Ve- liki bački kanal designed by brothers József and Gabor the prerequisite for regular data collection, analysis, Kiss. The construction of the canal lasted from 1793 to synthesis, presentation to interested legal and natural 1802. The first function of the canal was draining the persons (Dalmacija, 2004). wet soil in central Bačka and shortening the navigable There are 24 industrial objects within the group route between the Danube and the Tisza for approx- of pollutants of Veliki bački kanal (Table 1). Most of imately 160 km (Milošev, Stojanov, 1998). The project them are food industry plants. This industrial branch was successful with respect to the first task, since in is a huge water consumer and its process water has the initial construction phase between Sivac and Kula, high levels of organic matter. Data on mean values water withdrawal was recorded for the areas previous- of wastewater quality for all concentrated water on ly covered in water. József Kiss, encouraged with such the course of Veliki bački kanal indicate that waste- success, dug a wider and longer canal (30 km) between water from meat and meat processing industry pose Sivac and Vrbas with the permission of Hungarian the greatest hazard due to high concentration and chamber for the purposes of draining the excess water quantity of organic pollutants. Another threat comes from the depression of Sivac into Crna bara (Petrović, from utility services in Kula and Vrbas. Moreover, 1978). Comparison of archive maps from the period huge problem is sedimentation of suspended solids prior to the canal construction give evidence about (that fill the canal with sediment), microorganisms complete transformation of landscape features of the use oxygen for these compounds oxidation process- canal course. The rising level of Sivačka bara would es, and also the release of nutrients (phosphorus and cause flooding of the nearby settlement Veprovac (to- nitrogen), that stimulate the growth of water plants day Kruščić), and floods would spread towards south (Pantelić, 2012).