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Butila Barracks, Novi Grad Sarajevo
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Butila Barracks

Above remediation value

Novi Grad Sarajevo Military site Site ID: BiH-FBIH-86 Report date: 2026-02-03

Note. This is a preliminary assessment. The general conclusion of the report is that the location requires further detailed analysis. The data shown is not a final risk determination.

Media tested

  • Soil
  • Subsoil

Summary

Butila Barracks is an active military site and central logistics base in Novi Grad Sarajevo, with training, parking and vehicle-manoeuvring and maintenance areas; it lies in the floodplain of the river Bosna. Soil was tested. Arsenic reached a level indicating a need for cleanup in one surface-soil sample, while several metals and legacy pesticides were above the level at which soil is no longer considered clean. Pollutants associated with oil, solvents and industrial oils stayed within the prescribed limits.

Assessment findings

Findings of concern

  • Arsenic reached a level indicating a need for cleanup in one surface-soil sample.
  • Cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel, lead, zinc and selenium were, in several places in the soil, above the level at which land is no longer considered clean, and arsenic in additional samples too.
  • One surface-soil sample also contained legacy pesticides from earlier use, above the level at which soil is no longer considered clean.
  • The site lies in the floodplain of the river Bosna, so runoff from former vehicle-maintenance and fuel-storage zones and flood events can mobilise arsenic and other contaminants toward the watercourse and surroundings.

Positive findings

  • Pollutants associated with oil, industrial solvents, combustion and industrial oils were within the prescribed limits in the soil.
  • Chromium, mercury and molybdenum were within the prescribed limits in the soil.
  • Apart from arsenic in one sample, no other parameter reached a level indicating a need for cleanup.

Photo gallery

The project results have been submitted to the competent institutions as a basis for improving regulation and for strategic planning of further activities.

Legal basis

  • Rulebook on limit and remediation values of polluting, harmful and hazardous substances in soil (Official Gazette of RS No. 82/21)

Due to the absence of reference values for soil and sediment in the Federation of BiH, the Republika Srpska rulebook is applied as a reference framework to ensure methodological consistency between the entities.

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The Catalysing the Green Transition in Bosnia and Herzegovina Portfolio (GTP) is a joint initiative of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by UNDP, and co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, with the support and strategic partnership of Sweden and the Government of Switzerland. It brings together UN agencies, including FAO, ILO, UNECE, UNEP, UNODC and UN Women, along with national institutions and authorities at all levels, to drive the country’s green, inclusive, and sustainable transition across four key areas: decarbonization, depollution, biodiversity and nature, and circular economy.