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Holujaci Landfill, Višegrad
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Holujaci Landfill

Above remediation value

Višegrad Landfill Site ID: BiH-RS-6 Report date: 2025-10-06

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
  • Sediment

Summary

Holujaci is the municipal-waste landfill of Višegrad — unfenced, without basic infrastructure and with frequent burning of waste; it sits immediately beside the Višegrad lake on the Drina, less than fifty metres from the shore. Soil and sediment were tested. Nickel reached a level indicating a need for cleanup in the surface soil and in the sediment of a former streambed, and copper and zinc in the sediment. Oil-related pollution was within the prescribed limits in every sample.

Assessment findings

Findings of concern

  • Nickel reached a level indicating a need for cleanup in the surface soil and in the sediment of a former streambed across the road from the landfill, and copper and zinc in the sediment.
  • Cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper and zinc in the deeper soil and in the sediment were above the level at which land is no longer considered clean, with cobalt and zinc also in the surface soil; lead was elevated in the sediment.
  • The surface soil also contained legacy pesticides from earlier agricultural use, above the level at which soil is no longer considered clean.
  • The landfill is unfenced, lacks basic infrastructure and sees frequent burning of waste, and it lies immediately beside the Višegrad lake on the Drina, which carries a risk of pollution reaching the lake water.

Positive findings

  • Oil-related pollution was within the prescribed limits in all soil and sediment samples.
  • Combustion-related compounds were within the prescribed limits in the surface soil and the sediment, and selenium and molybdenum were not of concern in any sample.
  • Lead in the soil, both at the surface and deeper, was within the prescribed limits, and the legacy pesticides did not reach the 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)

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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.