Sections of Balkan river become floating garbage dump

VISEGRAD, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Tons of waste dumped in poorly regulated riverside landfills or directly into the waterways that flow across three countries end up accumulating in the Drina River in eastern Bosnia during wet weather. Environmental activists say a trash barrier installed a few kilometers upstream from a dam has turned the city into an unwilling regional waste site.

This week, a massive floating dump made its annual appearance. The river picks up plastic bottles, rusty barrels, used tires and household appliances from its tributaries in Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia. Decades after the 1990s wars that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Balkans lag behind the rest of Europe both economically and with regard to environmental protection.

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