Milan Lalić
ANALIZA STANJA I PERSPEKTIVA RAZVOJA OPŠTINA UZ VELIKI
BAČKI KANAL
DOI: 10.35666/28310438.2020.5.323
UDC: 911.37-2:711.061(497.113)
Abstract: The subject of this paper is the analysis of the situation and the perspective for development of municipalities in the central part of Bačka through which the Great Bačka Canal (GBC) flows. At the end of the 17th century, around 40% of this area was under wetlands. With the digging of GBC at the end of the 18th and at the beginning of the 19th century, the areas of fertile land have been significantly increased and living conditions have improved, which lead to mass immigration of members of many ethnic groups who were predominantly engaged in agricultural activities. During the 20th century, this region became extremely industrialized. This resulted in the expansion of settlements and an increase in population. Municipalities from this region were among the most developed, not only in the province but also in the entire Yugoslavia. Due to sudden industrial development, inadequate treatment of industrial water and intensification of agricultural production, the canal became polluted in the second half of the 20th century. The share of economically active population engaged in agriculture suffered a strong decline, the industry did not adapt to the transition processes, and therefore the municipalities of this region are lagging behind in development. According to the Decree on the Level of Development of Municipalities from 2014, only the municipality of Vrbas was classified above the national average, while the other municipalities in the region were below the national average. The region has been a depopulation area for more than three decades. The decades-long problem of pollution has resulted in the watercourse being one of the most polluted in Europe. At the end of the last and the beginning of this century, revitalization of GBC was initiated and a part of that project was carried out. The paper provides an analysis of planning documents of municipalities and how they plan to overcome the unfavourable outcome.
Key words: Great Bačka Canal, municipalities, Vojvodina, development