DREPR in Practice

Serbia Danube River Enterprise Pollution Reduction Project (DREPR) is financed under the GEF-WB Investment Fund for Nutrient Reduction in the Black Sea/Danube Basin. The preparation of the Project was executed by the Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection – Directorate for Environmental Protection and the implementing agency is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia .

Geographical focus: At the meeting of the Project Advisory Technical Committee, presided by the Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection – Directorate for Environmental Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Secretariat for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Secretariat for Environment and Sustainable Development of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, the regions selected for the implementation of the DREPR Project were Požarevac and Šabac in Central Serbia, and Novi Sad and Vrbas in Vojvodina.

Objectives of Project

The proposed Project will aim at increasing the prevalence of and promoting environmentally friendly practices in the Danube Basin, covering practically the overall territory of the Republic of Serbia. In particular, the objective of this project is to reduce nutrient load discharged into the River Danube and its tributaries from livestock farms, notably pig and cattle farms, as well as the reduction of the nutrient discharge from slaughterhouses.

Main polluters - Nutrients

What are Nutrients: Nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorous compounds whose surplus runs off to water currents causing algae bloom which in turn suffocate the water flow, resulting in polluted, foul smelling water in such water currents, unsuitable for bathing and drinking, and massive die off of living organisms such as crayfish, fish or aquatic plants due to oxygen depletion in such water.

Origin of Nutrients: Nutrients originate primarily from cattle, pig and poultry excrete popularly referred to as manure and slurry.