ULOG RESERVOIR HELPS PROTECT NERETVA DURING PROLONGED DROUGHT

DOBOJ, OCTOBER 12 /SRNA/ - The Ulog Hydroelectric Power Plant /HPP/, with a reservoir holding six million cubic meters of water in the upper Neretva River basin, has an ecological as well as an energy role, particularly during extreme droughts when inflows fall below environmentally acceptable levels, EFT Group said.

The company said the example of the Ulog HPP showed that the importance of reservoirs should not be viewed solely in terms of electricity generation.

This year's unprecedented drought in Herzegovina has significantly affected river flows, with the source of the Neretva barely visible in recent weeks as discharge at the hydrological station in Ulog fell below the minimum ecological flow to just 250 liters per second, the statement said.

The company noted that during dry periods the Ulog HPP increases downstream flow by releasing water from the reservoir, maintaining it at the level of the minimum ecological flow.

"By managing water resources in this way, the Ulog HPP demonstrates its commitment to responsible and sustainable operations, in which nature protection and preservation of the ecological balance take precedence over short-term economic interests," EFT Group said.

The company said that, amid increasingly pronounced climate change and more frequent hydrological extremes, the ability to store water during periods of higher inflow and use it in a controlled manner during extreme droughts could become an important mechanism for protecting rivers and increasing their resilience to the consequences of such events.

EFT Group warned that climate change was becoming a reality and that increasingly prolonged dry periods and more extreme temperatures posed a serious threat to the preservation of water resources, as well as to the survival of river and riparian ecosystems.

It added that reservoirs and the ability to manage available water resources in a controlled manner could play a very important positive role in preserving downstream river systems and the wildlife they support.