Nadela

Nadela (Надела)
Nadela at Ivanovo
Location
Country	Serbia
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Canal Danube-Tisa-Danube, at Botoš, Vojvodina
Mouth
• location	Danube, at Ivanovo, Vojvodina
• coordinates	44°42′29″N 20°42′06″E / 44.707965°N 20.701560°E / 44.707965; 20.701560
Length	81 or 84 km (50 or 52 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Danube→ Black Sea

Nadela (Serbian Cyrillic: Надела) or Nadel (Serbian Cyrillic: Надел) is a system of canals and rivers in Vojvodina, an 84 km (52 mi) long left tributary to the Danube in the Banat region of Vojvodina. Originating from Botoš, it ends at the village of Ivanovo, near Pančevo. The river has been polluted for decades and was home to carps as well as various other fish. However, the river is still used by fishermen and by 2025, fish had returned in the area near Starčevo.

Course

Nadel, officially known as Nadela, is a system of canals and rivers that flows for about 81 or 84 km. The Serbian Encyclopedia describes it as a Banat river in the alluvial plain of the Danube, alongside Ponjavica. Originally a river, the original course was reconstructed as a canal, to be used for irrigation and industrial water supply. The construction most likely occurred between 1977 and 1988. It originates from Botoš, on the Canal Danube-Tisa-Danube, and is present in Eastern Vojvodina. It passes through the settlements of Crepaja, Jabuka, Pančevo, Starčevo, Omoljica, and Ivanovo, ending in the Danube, at the village of Ivanovo, near Pančevo. There it creates the Ivanovo Ostrvo. Between Botoš and a pumping station in Debeljača, which is about 30 km, it irrigates more intensively. At Tomaševac, there is a pumping station that raises water from below the Kaljov canal into Nadela. Nadela is joined by several small watercourses and canals along the way, such as Verovac, Dolovački Begej, Crepajski Canal, Srednji Begej, Ponjavica, Zeldo, and Naritak.

Hydrology

Along its course, there are three pumping stations and 10 weirs. During the first 30 km, the water is considered "blue and clean" and is used for irrigation. While at the final 15 km, there is uncontrolled pollution. The pollution of Nadela has been ongoing for decades, mostly done by nearby factories and pig farming operators, while an illegal dump site was also formerly present in the area. The two main polluters include the starch industry company "Jabuka", which injects around 7,200 m³ of waste water, while PIK Tamiš and DD Mlekara eject around 103,500 m³ of waste water. In 2006, the University of Novi Sad conducted a study where it was found that near the Skrobara factory there were little amounts of dissolved oxygen. There were also several heavy metals present, such as arsenic and mercury.

Geology

Orographically, Nadela lies on three geomorphological units, a loess plateau, transition zone, and loess terrace. The altitude of the loess terrace is about 80 m, which covers about 48,214 ha, while the altitude of the transition zone is between 80 and 100 m and covers around 28,829 ha. The loess plateau's altitude is between 100 and 150 m and occupies an area of 50 ha. Nadela is a natural depression whose depth is around 6 m, while near Kovačica it is 3 m. It flows through terrain composed of loess-like sediments. The nearby Tamiš river, which is also a Danube tributary, has silty sediments, meanders laterally, while also eroding loess plateaus and terraces. Like Nadela, Tamiš is also polluted by factories, agriculture, and urban settlements.

Along the left bank of Nadela near Starčevo, there are 18 registered burial mounds from the Eneolithic Period. Near Omoljica and Starčevo, there are 91 and five archeological sites, respectively. Between Jabuka and Glogonj, an Iron Age settlement was found.

Biology

Nadela is home to carps, as well as Prussian carps and common rudds, though they have mostly disappeared due to the pollution. Swans can also be found. Protected bird species were also present around Nadela, such as a rare type of a Southern festoon. Nadela has lush vegetation. Until the 1970s, Nadela was also home to fish such as tenches, perches, crucian carps, pikes, and catfishes, as well as birds such as herons, storks, and jackdaws. Near its ending, two nature reserves are located in Ivanovo and Omoljica. Ponjavica is a protected nature park.

History

According to the Serbian Encyclopedia, it is believed that the Battle of Nedao took place near Nadela.

Nadela is commonly used by fishermen and there is a recreational fishing club named after the canal in Starčevo. Then-president of the club, Dalibor Tanev, in an interview for the Politika newspaper complained about pollution that was spotted in the canal in January 2017, which left most fish dead. With the help of a local water management company, the river bank and a bridge near Omoljica and Starčevo were cleaned up and tons of garbage was hauled away since the establishment of the club in 2016. Recreational fishermen have called for the Nadela region to be proclaimed a nature park. Since then, ecologists have developed and cleaned up the area near the canal, though polluters are still present. According to a 2025 article by the newspaper Pančevac, the situation around Starčevo was improved and fish have since returned to the area. However, the fishing club had de facto ceased to exist.

The bicycle route EuroVelo 6 passes near Nadela.

References

Sources