Pusta River (South Morava)


The Pusta River is a river in southern Serbia, a 71-km long left tributary to the South Morava. It also gives the name to the Pusta Reka region in its valley.

River

The river originates northeast of Prolom Banja, near the Sokolovica village, on the northern tip of the Radan mountain, as the Golema River. It flows eastward, between the mountains of Radan and Pasjača, next to the villages of Dobra Voda, Magaš, Brestovac and Velika Crkvica, before it reaches the regional center of Bojnik, after which, for the rest of the course of 46 km, it is known as the Pusta River. From Bojnik, the river bends north, next to the villages of Dragovac, Pridvorica, Đinđuša, Lapotince, Kacabać, Kosančić, Donje Brijanje, Međa and Draškovac, before it empties into the South Morava, near the village of Pukovac.
The Pusta River drains an area of 590 km², belongs to the Black Sea drainage basin, and is not navigable.

Region

The region of Pusta Reka mostly correspondence with the river's watershed. It is located between the Pasjača mountain and lower Toplica region, the Southern Pomoravlje, the Jablanica region and the Radan mountain.
The region is an agricultural area, almost without any industry, except for some smaller facilities in regional center, Bojnik. As if it confirms the name of the river, the region is economically undeveloped and poor, sparsely populated and depopulating.