The scheme was jointly agreed by the Hungarian and Croatian governments of the time. Between 1975 and 1989, two large dams were built on the Croatian section before the river reaches the Hungarian territory. Since the terrain in this flat floodplain slopes very gently, the retention lakes have to be very long. The Donja Dubrava lake is about 8km long, with about 15m-high sidewall at its lower end. Such dams normally need several-kilometers-long exit channels, but for safety reasons (flood overflows) the original riverbed was allowed to survive alongside them, usually carrying some 30% of the total flow. Even in their reduced state, these sections of the Stara Drava (0ld Drava), support extensive riverine habitats and wetlands—but these precious remnants are now in danger of being destroyed.
The idea of building a dam at Novo Virje re-emerged in 2001. To maximise
the exploitation of energy, its retention lake is planned to be 26km long.
Because of the erratic course of the border, this whole stretch lies entirely
within Croatian territory so that Hungarian permission is not directly needed.
Such a huge lake would have a profound direct impact on riverine habitats,
and would - by affecting groundwater levels - cause a severe deterioration
over a much wider area, including the indigenous oaks of the Repas Forest,
which has been proposed as a protected area. Besides, at 25m in height,
the lower walls of the reservoir would dominate this beautiful floodplain
landscape.
There is also the question of the transboundary impact of the dam. The original
plan places the barrage only 150m upstream of the Hungarian territory, the
strictly protected Danube-Drava National Park which would inevitably suffer
hydrological and related effects. The position of the Hungarian government
on this is not clear; they have so far stated that it is the responsibility
of the Croatian government to address all the requirements of the Espoo
Convention, of which both countries are signatories.
At present, the construction plan has stalled for economic reasons, although
the Environmental Impact Study found it environmentally feasible despite
international criticism. The plan is still "on the table”. However,
another urgent environmental crisis has emerged in the Drava Basin: gravel
extraction and river regulation have produced effects on a scale comparable
to those that would be produced by the dam, destroying habitats, seriously
impairing the sediment regime of the river and changing groundwater levels
and the complex ecology dependent on them.
| Already in 1997 representatives of the four countries
sharing the Darva basin as well as Yugoslavia, developed a proposal
to establish a Transfrontier UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The proposal
was to designate an area of about 250.000ha and to jointly develop
a management plan to guarantee the protection of nature as well as
the development of sustainable economic activities. For more information,
please visit: www.euronatur.org |
On the Stara Drava between the Slovenian border and Varazdin, a stretch
of 20 km, a massive gravel excavation project has begun. Although the picture
is not clear, it seems that no EIA has been carried out even though it is
required by the Croatian law. The works threaten a large wetland area that
contains about 20 oxbow lakes and is home to about 50 Red List species.
Hrvatske Vode, the Croatian water authority, has stated that 7 million cubic
metres of gravel will be extracted to be used in motorway construction between
Varazdin and Zagreb. This fits with the Croatian government’s development
plans and the development of the new European Highway 7, part of which will
link Zagreb and Split. Local NGOs, under the umbrella of the Drava League,
are not only strongly opposed to the works announced and in progress; they
believe that much greater amounts of gravel will in fact be excavated. The
project enjoys such strong political support that the Drava League was forced
to appeal to WWF’s Danube-Carpathian Programme for help. Many communities
are also opposed to the works. In particular, Zvonimir Mrsic, the Mayor
of Koprivnica City, and Josip Friscic, Head of Koprivnica-Krizevci County,
have spoken out against the works and committed themselves to pursuing more
sustainable initiatives for developing the region.
Downstream of Novo Virje, smaller but still devastating excavation projects
are being carried out even in protected landscape areas. Meanwhile, unnecessary
regulation works in this lower section are shutting off backwaters and river
branches as well as valuable fish-spawning grounds. Besides, river islands
are being connected to the mainland, which destroys their special habitat
qualities. Some of Europe’s most valuable natural assets are being
squandered for the sake of short-term profitability in exploiting the river’s
resources.