Since the publication of our guidebook Soča from Source to Sea – Paddling Guidebook at the end of December last year, six well-attended book launch events have taken place. We presented the new book in Bovec, Tolmin, Ljubljana (twice) and Kobarid. Two more events in Italy are to follow; on March 6, we will present the book in Goriza, and on March 11, in Udine.
At these events the author of the book (Rok Rozman) and photographer (Rožle Bregar) answer questions from the organizers, which presents a great opportunity to discuss the state of the Soča River and how decision-makers at the local and national levels are treating it. Since the book is much more than just a paddling guidebook – and in its extensive introduction also offers chapters on the hydrology of the river, the flora and fauna encountered on the Soča, fishing and much more – it is of interest to a wide range of people, anyone who would like to better understand this beautiful river and learn to behave as appropriately as possible on and around it. The descriptions for the individual stages, of course, offer detailed instructions for the descent between the source and the sea to the navigators of various vessels, and it is they who are the first to notice the changes on the river and whistleblow in one way or another. This once again shows the great importance of learning about nature and its active protection through an individual’s personal connection with it.
Due to the elements listed above, it was interesting to observe how the events attracted people who are interested in the state of the Soča River between the source and the sea. Local and state authorities on both sides of the border regularly put themselves in the first row when it comes to the merits of the river’s preservation, while the reality is completely different. The Soča is (more or less) the last wild alpine river in its upper reaches, which has not been doing well in the last 20-30 years due to greedy management of it (mass tourism, poorly controlled gravel extraction, rough interventions by hydro engineers, chemical pollution, etc.). The Soča has bigger problems in its middle course, which has been almost completely destroyed by dams. And, the most absurd problem in its lower course, downstream from the town of Sagrado, becomes apparent in the warmest parts of the year. At that time, the operators of the De Dottori irrigation canal take away such a large amount of water for irrigation from the already meagre flow, that the river downstream of the dam has nothing left. It is increasingly common for the Soča to dry up between the towns of Sagrado and Turriaco. It is hard to believe that such a famous and well-known river as the Soča does not flow in a single path to the sea. On top of all this, in times of aggressive ‘green transition’, plans for hydropower exploitation are also becoming increasingly relevant with the fall of the rich upper Soča and its tributaries.
The Soča faces no shortage of problems, but it is felt that there is a strong desire and determination among people to stand up for this exceptional river and demand responsible and, above all, thoughtful handling of it from decision-makers at all levels.
The Soča_KV project is funded by the European Union SPF GO! 2025 – Interreg Italy-Slovenia 2021-2027.
Foto: Saša Mrak, Carmen Kuntz, Igor Kušter
