Photo: Environmental disaster in the lower part of the Pena River - the riverbed is covered with garbage
The bed of the river Pena, which passes through Tetovo, has for years served as a place for some citizens to "get rid" of their waste. A variety of garbage is thrown: dilapidated furniture, white goods, etc. The situation is worst in the lower part of the stream, from the bridge on the "Industriska" boulevard towards the village of Saraqino, where the river is sinking in thousands of tons of garbage.
"Anything and everything is thrown into the river, from stoves to sets, for all this there should be more control from the authorities, but the river should also be cleaned more often and there should be more order," says a resident of Tetovo.
"It's a shame what's happening to the Pena River, from the pearl of the city, there are now feces and waste in the river," added another resident.
The Municipality of Tetovo says that they are working on a more serious strategy and plan for cleaning the riverbeds, which will include continuous maintenance of hygiene. The river bed of Pena is not being cleaned now, because as they said, the water level was fluctuating.
"The Pena River, the river in Mala Recica, Golema Recica and Porojska Reka are under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Tetovo. In particular, the activities to clean the Pena river will start from June, we are waiting for the winter and spring period to pass, in order to stabilize the water level of the Pena, which fluctuates due to the melting of the snow on the Shar Mountain. We appeal to the citizens to be more conscientious not to throw waste in the rivers and by them," said Milena Vuchevska, spokesperson of the Municipality of Tetovo.
The Center for Public Health in the city says that the water in Pena, according to the latest microbiological analyses, is of the second category, which is a good result, considering the piles of garbage that end up in the river, which flows into Vardar.
"A lot of garbage is thrown into the river, but it is still in the second category according to the latest results, all due to the rich amount of oxygen in the water. "If everything was not thrown into the river, the results would be much more positive", say the Center for Public Health Tetovo.
The latest analyzes of the CJZ showed that the water in the Vardar River, in the part where it passes through Tetovo, belongs to the third category.
