Montenegro abandons plans to flood Tara gorge
01 Apr 2005 17:03:34 GMT
Source: Reuters PODGORICA, Serbia and Montenegro, April 1 (Reuters) - Montenegro
has abandoned plans to build a dam that would flood parts of its cherished Tara
gorge, yielding to public pressure and warnings from the United Nations, officials
said on Friday. The decision comes after months of demonstrations calling for
the protection of the Tara River canyon, the deepest and longest canyon in Europe
and a United Nations World Heritage Site. The 80 km (50 mile) canyon, part of
Montenegro's Durmitor National Park, is a tourist attraction in the impoverished
former Yugoslav republic. Locals call it the "tear of Europe" for its clear waters.
"Montenegro has decided to halt the preparation for and the building of the hydro
electric power plant," Environment Minister Boro Vucinic quoted a letter to the
U.N.'s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as saying.
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