The Sitnica ( sq, Sitnicë; sr-Cyrl, Ситница) is a river
in
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. It flows into the
Ibar at
Mitrovica, and it is the longest river that flows completely within Kosovo.
History
In the 14th century, during the reign of king
Milutin Milutin ( sr, Милутин) is a Serbian masculine given name of Slavic origin. The name may refer to:
*Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia (1253–1321), king of Serbia
*Milutin Bojić (1892–1917), poet
*Milutin Ivković (1906–1943), football ...
, a canal connecting the Sazlija and the river
Nerodimka was dug, creating an artificial
bifurcation
Bifurcation or bifurcated may refer to:
Science and technology
* Bifurcation theory, the study of sudden changes in dynamical systems
** Bifurcation, of an incompressible flow, modeled by squeeze mapping the fluid flow
* River bifurcation, the for ...
, since the Nerodimka flows to the south into the
Lepenac
The Lepenac ( sq, Lepenci ; mk, ; sr, Лепенац, ) is a river in southern Kosovo and northern North Macedonia, a long left tributary to the Vardar river.
Sirinić
The Lepenac springs out on the Kodža Balkan mountain, east of the ci ...
river and thus belongs to the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek language, Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish language, Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It ...
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
, while the Sitnica flows to the north, into the Ibar river and belongs to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
drainage basin. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the canal was covered with earth again.
The Sitnica was supposed to be the major part of the huge Ibar-Lepenac Hydrosystem, which was to regulate Ibar-Sitnica-Lepenac watercourse (including
ecological protection,
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...
and
power production
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy. For electric utility, utilities in the electric power industry, it is the stage prior to its Electricity delivery, delivery (Electric power transmi ...
), but the projected plan never came true.
Course
The Sitnica originates from the
Sazlija pond, north of the town of Ferizaj, and it is initially called the Sazlija river itself.
The Sitnica flows generally to the north, as the main river in the
Kosovo Field, on the western slopes of the
Žegovac mountain (from which it receives the right tributary of
Žegovska river, south of
Lipljan
Lipjan ( sq-definite, Lipjani) or Lipljan ( sr-Cyrl, Липљан) is a town and municipality located in the Pristina District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Lipjan has 6,870 inhabitants, while the municipality has 57,605 i ...
), next to the villages of Muhadžer Talinovac, Muhadžer Babuš, Robovce (where it receives the tributary of
Shtime river from the left), Topličane, Gracko, Mali Alaš and the town of
Lipljan
Lipjan ( sq-definite, Lipjani) or Lipljan ( sr-Cyrl, Липљан) is a town and municipality located in the Pristina District of Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Lipjan has 6,870 inhabitants, while the municipality has 57,605 i ...
. The river continues to the north between the villages Suvi Do, Skulanovo, Radevo and Batuse, as it enters the Kosovo coal basin (with the major mine, Dobri Do, right on the river), west of the provincial capital of
Pristina
Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...
. This is an area where the Sitnica receives some of its most important tributaries: the highly polluted Gračanka and Prištevka from the right, and the
Drenica
Drenica ( al, Drenicë, Drenica, ), also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klin ...
from the Drenica depression, from the left.
The river passes west of the Pristina suburbs of
Kosovo Polje
Fushë Kosova ( sq-definite, Fushë Kosovë), or Kosovo Polje ( sr-Cyrl, Косово Поље, "Kosovo Field"), is a town and municipality located in the District of Pristina in central Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Fushë Ko ...
and
Obilić
Obiliq, ) or Obilić ( sr-cyr, Обилић, ), also referred to as Kastriot ( sq-definite, Kastrioti, ) is a town and municipality in Kosovo. According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS) estimate from the 2011 census, there were 21,549 peo ...
and the village of
Plemetina, between the mountain of
Čičavica
Qyqavica is a mountain situated at the center of Kosovo with a length of about and a width of about . Its highest peak reaches to a height of . It is in the boundary line between the Drenica region and the Kosovo Plain. The river Sitnica passes ...
on the west, and the northernmost slopes of the
Kopaonik
Kopaonik ( sr-cyr, Копаоник, ; sq, Kopaoniku) is a mountain range located in Serbia and Kosovo. The highest point is the Pančić's Peak with . The central part of the Kopaonik plateau was declared a national park in 1981 which today cove ...
mountain, on the east. The Sitnica leaves the coal basin as the most polluted river in the area, especially notorious for its highly toxic
phenol
Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it req ...
spills, which pollutes not only the Sitnica, but also the downstream Ibar and
West Morava
West Morava ( sr, Западна Морава, Zapadna Morava, ) is a river in Central Serbia, a 184 km-long headstream of the Great Morava, which it forms with the South Morava. It was known as Brongus in antiquity.
Origin
The West Morav ...
rivers.
The Sitnica continues to the northwest, next to the villages of
Prilužje, Mijalić, Reka (where it receives its major tributary, the
Lab, from the right,
Malo Kosovo field), Pestovo (where it receives another right tributary, the
Slakovačka river), the town of
Vushtrri
Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria) or Vučitrn ( sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн), is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the munic ...
, Senjak,
Veliki Kičić and Malo Kičiće, emptying into the Ibar as its right tributary at Mitrovica, with an average discharge of 9,5 m³/s.
Because of the relatively small inclination in its drainage basin (altitudes of on its outflow from the Sazlija and on its confluence into the Ibar), the Sitnica meanders a lot. Many meanders have been cut through and dried out, so a curiosity is the long, nine-pillar Vojnovića bridge above the dry river bed, near Vushtrri.
Gallery
Sitnica_river_from_the_bridge.jpg, The Sitnica from the Vojinović Bridge in Vushtrri
Vushtrri ( sq-definite, Vushtrria) or Vučitrn ( sr-Cyrl, Вучитрн), is a city and municipality located in the Mitrovica District in northern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Vushtrri has 26,964 inhabitants, while the munic ...
A_view_from_Sitnica_river.jpg, The Sitnica in summer
Sitnica_River.jpg, The Sitnica in winter
Pusi_i_Haxhis%C3%AB_-_Lumi_Sitnica_n%C3%AB_Pestov%C3%AB_-_panoramio.jpg, The Sitnica by the Haxhi well near Pestova
Pestov%C3%AB_(lumi_Sitnica_dhe_moqalet)_-_panoramio.jpg, Marshes on the Sitnica
Sitnica_River_in_Mitrovica.jpg, The Sitnica at Mitrovica
Notes and references
Notes
References
* ''Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija'', Third edition (1985); Prosveta;
* Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): ''Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije''; Svjetlost-Sarajevo;
{{Kosovo topics
Rivers of Kosovo
Geography of Ferizaj District