Miljacka

The Miljacka (Serbian Cyrillic: Миљацка) is a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina that passes through Sarajevo.
Characteristics.
The Miljacka river originates from the confluence of the Paljanska Miljacka and Mokranjska Miljacka rivers. The Miljacka is a rather small river, only long from the confluence, or and depending on source (Pale or Mokro), with an average discharge of 5.7 m³/s into the Bosna river in Sarajevo. The Miljacka river flows from east to west general direction.
Paljanska Miljacka.
The Paljanska Miljacka, in length, begins Gornje Pale, eastward in the town of Pale, under the slopes of Jahorina, near Begovina), at the elevation of .
Mokranjska Miljacka.
The Mokranjska Miljacka, in length, springs from a large cave, yet to be fully explored, near the village of Kadino Selo at an elevation of near the base of Romanija mountain.
Mokranjska Miljacka cave.
The cave at the spring of Mokranjska Miljacka, located about from the village of Mokro, near Pale, is officially the longest cave in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with length of mapped caverns so far at , as of August 2015. The Miljacka runs out of the cave practically as an underground flow, a subterranean river, where its temperature is measured as low as 5 degrees and temperature of air as low as 8 degrees Celsius.
The exact location of the cave is not yet mapped out for the public, but local authorities have released a map which can be used to find its location as well as a gallery of discoveries within the cave.
New species of spiders, named "Nemanela Lade" ("Lada's Little Monster", namesake of its discoverer PhD Lada Lukić-Bilela from Institute for Genetic Technology, Sarajevo), along with at least five more species of spider, as well as certain species of bats, have been found there. A skeleton head of a cave bear has also been found at the location. Paleontological finds, traces of human habitation, stalactites and stalagmites, as well as pisolite rocks, the river Miljacka wellspring, all makes this cave among most valuable speleological objects in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Researchers believe to have discovered bubbles of air, a possible sign of tectonic activity.
Environment.
Because of its poor discharge, the Miljacka is known for its peculiar smell and brown waters. Miljacka river cascades, which regulate the waterbed and enrich the water with oxygen, trap plastic scraps, stranded balls, car tires, and various other waste. The main collector that drains fecal matter is parallel to the flow of the river up to its mouth at the river Bosna. The sewer system is not connected to the main collector, causing leakage of fecal matter directly into the waters of the Miljacka in several places. During the Bosnian War, water treatment was stopped and plant equipment was looted, preventing the local government from dealing with the issue. Estimations of the cost to repair the wastewater plant range from 50 to 60 million euros.
In April 2015, a project called "Čista rijeka Miljacka" (Clean river Miljacka) was presented. The aim of the project is to bring the river status to category A, which would make the water clean enough for swimming.
In August 2015, Sarajevo Grad signed a contract with ER Project d.o.o. company to clean up 48 river cascades from Šeher-Ćehaja bridge to Dolac Malta suburb bridge.
The river swelled almost to the level of city bridges during the 2014 Southeast Europe floods, which brought significant flooding to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bridges.
There are over a dozen bridges over the river Miljacka. Some of the better known ones are:
Diving.
Bentbaša Cliff Diving is a sport organized at location Bentbaša dam every summer at the eastern entrance into the city of Sarajevo (in close proximity to Vijećnica, a library and former City Hall). The diving location water depth is at 3.5 to 4.4 meters depending time of month. Support to this sport in Sarajevo was given by Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series champion Rhiannan Iffland and competitor Jonathan Paredes who attended the 2019 edition.
Past champions of the event:
Popular culture.
A number of popular local songs were sung about Miljacka river, including "Halid Bešlić - Miljacka" and "Himzo Polovina - Kad ja pođoh na Bembašu".