Serbia's Healing Spa Faces Pollution Threat

Banja Cevka, a popular retreat for Obrenovac residents, offers healing sulfurous waters known for treating skin and rheumatic ailments. However, the spa is located in a town notorious for some of the worst air pollution in Serbia, largely due to the nearby Nikola Tesla thermal power plant.

Despite the environmental concerns, visitors continue to frequent the spa, enjoying the therapeutic properties of the water. Recent air quality reports have shown moderate levels of PM particles, but in late June, dangerous concentrations of sulfur particles were detected. Crucially, residents were not informed about these hazardous levels by environmental groups or authorities; the information was only available on the websites of the Environmental Protection Agency and the ministry.

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The water is said to be healing, and you also get a nice tan when you bathe in it. The spa has been a popular destination for Obrenovac residents for years, for decades.

Stefan Aleksić from Zbor Obrenovac notes that while the water is believed to be healing, the spa's facilities have deteriorated. A portion of the spa grounds was sold to a private investor years ago, leading to stalled construction and unusable concrete areas. Aleksić also mentioned that Obrenovac cannot officially attain 'spa' status due to the presence of the thermal power plant.

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The thing is, it used to be much larger, but a part of it was sold to a private investor a long time ago, and he started some construction there ages ago, and it's just gotten stuck somewhere. And as you can see, it's concrete and simply cannot be used anymore.