Nearly 100 families from Željezno Polje will not be able to return to their homes this winter

Nearly a hundred families from Željezno Polje will spend this winter away from their homes, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

Landslides caused by powerful torrents of water, which affected most of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May this year, in Željezno Polje, located about 14 kilometers from Žepče in central Bosnia, destroyed and damaged several hundred buildings, road infrastructure, the local water supply, a mosque, and a large number of livestock also perished.

With funds from the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina, USAID, UNDP, and other donations arriving from the country and the world, part of the damaged buildings and infrastructure was repaired by November, but this is still not enough to fully restore life to this place, which has about 4,500 inhabitants.

Amer Ahmić, president of the Local Community of Željezno Polje, largely coordinates the reconstruction of Željezno Polje. He explains that it may seem that life is returning to this place, and that it has largely returned, but the truth, he says, is quite different. For him, life in Željezno Polje will not return until the last house is repaired, which is expected to happen, but only until potential landslides are stopped, because they still threaten the local population.

- Some work is being done on building houses, auxiliary facilities... The infrastructure has also been largely restored to normal, but people here cannot be safe as long as even the last landslide threatens us – Ahmić told the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

- You know, you haven't achieved anything if you make houses habitable for people but don't prevent them from being destroyed again. People are worried about that. Now winter is coming, and it can be harsh here, snow can be very deep, all of which can again cause new troubles.

About a hundred families who have not returned to their homes in Željezno Polje are now staying with friends or relatives, and one family is still in collective accommodation in Zenica. The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is considering paying rent for housing for those families whose houses have not yet been repaired, or providing them with temporary accommodation in some other way, writes Patria.