Additional Funding for a New Wastewater Treatment Plant in Podgorica

Additional Funding for a New Wastewater Treatment Plant in Podgorica

16-06-2017

15 June 2017, Stockholm: The WBIF Steering Committee approves a €9 million grant for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in Podgorica. It is the first WBIF investment grant for an environment sector project. The support has been made possible by the Bilateral Donors' pledges to the WBIF Joint Fund in December 2016.  

The new wastewater treatment plant will ensure adequate collection and treatment of the wastewater generated by the city, which is now serviced by a 1970s plant, well under the capacity and level of treatment required by the current demand. Consequently, about 50% of the effluent is discharged directly into the Moraca River and then, further on, into the Skadar Lake - a Ramsar wetland area of international importance, jointly managed by Montenegro and Albania. Apart from mitigating the negative impact of untreated wastewater on biodiversity, the new investment will reduce the health hazards generated by the untreated effluent permeating surface and underground waters in the two countries. 

The present investment grant complements previous WBIF and German Government grant assistance to the project as well as a KfW loan. More details on the project can be found here

Caption: European Commission, Montenegro, Bilateral Donors (Sweden), and KfW representatives at the WBIF Steering Committee in Stockholm, 15 June 2017. (c) Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and European Commission