Banja Luka

bosnia-and-herzegovina-and-north-macedonia
  • Identification
  • Feasibility
  • Financing and setting up
  • Implementation

Solid waste and wastewater management project in Banja Luka

Cleaner environment for the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina

With the support of the Urban Projects Finance Initiative (UPFI), Banja Luka is planning how to modernise its waste and wastewater management services to clean up the environment.

 

Context of the project

One project – two sectors

Around 180 000 people live in Banja Luka and its surrounding areas. Despite its size, the city’s waste and wastewater management services are underdeveloped. Only 60% of the population is connected to the wastewater network. The city does not have a wastewater treatment plant and the collected water is discharged directly into the Vrbanja and Vrbas rivers. While solid waste collection services cover the city, coverage in rural areas is less efficient, as is the management of the collected waste.

Faced with this situation, the city is working with the UPFI to prepare a plan for modernising its water and wastewater management services. Both components of the project are among the top strategic priorities for the city’s development and are fully supported by the government of Republika Srpska. The project is embedded in the main national and city strategies for general development and the environment sector.

The project will help to clean up the environment by improving:

  • Waste treatment and sorting
  • Recycling of household and industrial waste
  • Wastewater treatment facility designs

The UPFI project

Uniting two sectors to reach ambitious goals in the second largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The project provides support to Banja Luka in defining optimal long-term sustainable solutions for two vital sectors – solid waste and wastewater management – with a long-term positive environmental impact being the primary aim.

The solid waste component focuses on improving waste treatment and disposal and separate collection infrastructure in Banja Luka. The second component focuses on significantly improving wastewater management by introducing wastewater treatment facilities and reconstructing rainwater and sewage networks.

The projects will result in cleaner rivers and a cleaner environment for communities in the region.

The expected impacts at a glance:

  • Strong positive environmental impact for the city of Banja Luka and its neighbouring municipalities, as well as for the wider community of Republika Srpska and the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina;
  • Reconstruction and expansion of key city infrastructure that is sustainable in the long term;
  • Improved communal services;
  • Greater environmental awareness among the public and institutions;
  • Improved quality of life for residents of the city of Banja Luka and neighbouring municipalities.

Over the next few months, the technical assistance team will collect existing documentation, analyse the performance of the waste management service, bridge possible technical gaps and complete the diagnosis of the solid waste value chain in Banja Luka. The study will also facilitate strategic decisions for short and long-term capital financing.