The Kaljina is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in the central-northeastern part of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, municipality of

Sokolac Sokolac ( sr-Cyrl, Соколац) is a town and municipality of the city of Istočno Sarajevo, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 12,021 inhabitants, while the town of Sokolac has a population of 5,919 ...

. The source of the river is on Ozren Sarajevski, in the area of "Vrela" near Ozren village, while the majority of its course runs across

Nišići Nišići () is a village in the municipality of Ilijaš, situated north from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on a highland karst plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain ...

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

, where the river passes through a village with a same name, Kaljina, which is the largest settlement on its course. After about 26 kilometers of scenic flow from source to confluence, through the pristine nature of the plateau, the Kaljina meets

Bioštica The Bioštica ( sr-cyrl, Биоштица) is a small river in central-northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Bioštica meets the Stupčanica at the small town of Olovo Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality located in t ...

near the town of

Olovo Olovo ( sr-cyrl, Олово) is a town and municipality located in the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated about 50 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Sara ...

. The Krivaja basin is known for an abundant fish fauna, rich in species, some of which are critically endangered, such as Danube Salmon (or Danube Taimen) ''(Hucho hucho)''. All the Krivaja tributaries and especially its headwaters are important spawning grounds for both Danube Taimen and its prey, Common nase (Chondrostoma nasus) and Grayling (Thymallus thymallus). The Kaljina, its

parent A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are First-degree relative, first-degree relatives and have ...

the

, and the

Stupčanica The Stupčanica ( sr-cyrl, Ступчаница) is a small river in central-northern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Si ...

are the main source of the Krivaja waters, and all three are unspoiled in sense of water quality, their hydromorphology, natural surroundings and river biodiversity. The rich pool of indigenous

salmonids Salmonidae (, ) is a family of ray-finned fish, the only extant member of the suborder Salmonoidei, consisting of 11 extant genera and over 200 species collectively known as "salmonids" or "salmonoids". The family includes salmon (both Atlantic a ...

such as Danube

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a species of salmonid ray-finned fish and the most widely distributed species of the genus ''Salmo'', endemic to most of Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa, and has been widely introduced globally ...

(''Salo truta fario'', Danube lineage), spawning grounds for ''huchen'' and ''nase'', can only be maintained through statutory protection, and preservation of the Krivaja basin streams and rivers uninterrupted flow from construction of

dams A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

. However plans for

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

development exist, and represent a real risk for unspoiled natural environment of the region.

References

External links

Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Olovo Municipality Sokolac Krivaja (Bosna) Romanija plateau Nišići plateau {{BosniaHerzegovina-river-stub