23/12/2022

Filed Criminal Charges for Drying up of Several Artesian Fountains in Zaječar. The Mayor of the City of Zaječar, Boško Ničić, Made a Statement

On December 21, 2022, representatives of the Association “Za Drinking Fountains” submitted criminal charges for the drying up two artesian fountains in Zaječar to the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Zaječar. This is not the first time that activists of the Association have filed criminal charges for drying up of artesian fountains. An almost identical situation happened in 2015, when fountains in the city center dried up due to
the construction of an artesian well in the parking lot of the hotel „Serbia TIS“. Many things connect these two cases, from the non- compliance of competent inspections to the same contractor Dušan Stojanović who this time illegally drilled a well in his yard, said the
president of the Association “Za Drinking Fountains”, Boban Pogarčić.

The mayor the City of Zaječar, Boško Ničić, spoke about the current case of drying up the artesian fountains and commented on the inaction of the city’s inspection services:

“After the information that appeared in the media, I reacted immediately and called them to point out that if it turns out that they did not work well, they will bear responsibility for failure to act because that is within my competence and the competence of the head of the City Administration. I will insist that everyone must do their part of a job, both local and republican authorities. I received information that a geological inspector from the Ministry of Mining and Energy (of the Republic of Serbia) will come and that he will check and adequately sanction those who have violated the law, especially that those sanctions will be adequate to the damage they may have caused, in order to discourage others from destroying something that is a public good.”

There is still no water at the two fountains in the „Ključ 3“suburb and the arrival of the geological inspection of the Ministry of Mining and Energy of the Republic of Serbia is expected in the coming days. He should determine the legality of the construction of the artesian well, as well as its technical characteristics, primarily the depth and number of aquifers from which the illegal well is captured by deep water.

Association “Za Drinking Fountains”

This text was produced within the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina” funded by the European Union, and implemented by the Association “Za Drinking Fountains”, the Association of Young Researchers Bor, Civic Library “Europe” Bor and Children’s Center Zaječar. The content of the text is entirely responsibility of these associations and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.