Novi Grad is among the municipalities most severely affected by floods in recent days. Our portal’s team visited the most vulnerable areas and talked to people before the evacuation.
While the water levels of the Una and Sana are constantly monitored, a major problem is caused by underground water, which threatens several settlements.
Part of the Radišići settlement near Novi Grad suffered a lot of damage due to overflowing of the surrounding ditch, but also of underground water. Water entered several houses, and the locals claim that the Department of Civil Protection in Novi Grad is ignoring their calls.
Due to heavy rainfall, the surrounding ditch cut off the road to several houses. The water has been constantly rising since last night, and today in the afternoon it reached its maximum. People in boots cross to the main road.
The locals led us to several of the most endangered houses, whose householders had to move their cattle out of the barn due to the danger. They claim that they do not remember this high water level, not even in 2014, when BiH was hit by large-scale floods.
Solidarity neighbors, who are not threatened for now, moved the livestock to safety, and the furniture in most of the houses was destroyed.
Residents near Novi Grad: Water in the houses, residents desperate – “NOBODY COMES, AS IF WE ARE NOT ALIVE” (PHOTO/VIDEO)
The house of Drena and Miloš Milešević was flooded due to heavy rainfall, and the water entered their living room and bedroom.
“The damage is great. We renovated the kitchen, bought new furniture, everything was destroyed”says Drena through tears.
He adds that none of the officials from Novi Grad, except for the president of the local community, went to the field.
“I called yesterday, last night, this morning, now… Everyone is silent, no one has even a bottle of drinking water to bring,” she says.
The same situation is in the house of grandmother Kate Drljača (70). which night he will spend with the neighbors. She managed to save the chickens and two pigs, but she cannot turn off the electricity, and the authorities from Novi Grad do not come to her yard.
“I called Elektra to turn off my electricity, and they said to contact my neighbor. They say that I call from 5 to 12, and that’s not true. I’ve been calling them since yesterday, and now the water has entered the house, and they’re not there. I’m watching on TV when there are floods, they go, they carry water bottles, here they are nothing”she tells Mondo.
One local woman, who did not want to be identified, suffered major material damage because the water flooded her entire floor where she sleeps. Upstairs is currently without a stove or electricity.
“My whole life has collapsed. All I have left is the laundry I picked up to dry and the small freezer that my daughter managed to pick up with me“, she tearfully admits.
Mirko Lukić, head of Civil Protection Novi Grad he tells Mondo that he is familiar with the situation in Radišići, but that “the workers cannot reach everywhere”.
“The problem with the ditch in Radišići has been going on for 20 years. It is a place where there is a basin that is constantly blue. People have built houses there. We help, we send sand, trucks and bags. I know that, but we don’t always have to get to everything “he said.
Members of the CZ intervened in the settlements of Mlakve and Rudice, and at several locations in the city, pumps are constantly working and pumping underground water out of buildings.
(WORLD)