Landslide threatens to cut off road from Sarajevo to Trnovo

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The mayor of Trnovo municipality, Dragomir Gagović, warned today about the seriousness of the situation caused by a landslide on the main road Sarajevo – Trnovo, in the immediate vicinity of the hydro-accumulation lake on the Željeznica River, stating that urgent intervention by the authorities is needed.

- At two locations, traffic is moving in one lane, as the other lane has collapsed, and at another location near the lake, the road has begun to sink and slide. Given that we have entered winter, we fear additional damage to the road in this section, which could lead to a complete traffic stoppage and its rerouting via Igman - said Gagović.

According to his words, those two locations were marked with traffic signs, but when winter maintenance crews cleared the road of snow last week, they covered them, making them invisible.

- For those who do not know the road and its condition, this is an extremely dangerous situation, especially for larger transport vehicles – buses, trucks - emphasized Gagović, adding that everyone is aware of this, but so far there has been no visible reaction from the authorities.

Gagić added that the municipal Emergency Situations Staff at its session on Friday, December 3, pointed out the need for urgent intervention by the authorities on the main road and the placement of new signs so as not to endanger traffic participants.

The Staff specifically warned that due to the landslide on the main road, it is difficult for dialysis patients from Trnovo to go to the "Srbija" Hospital in East Sarajevo.

The mayor of Trnovo reminded that it has been determined so far that the floods that hit this municipality a month ago caused damage of 1.5 million KM and added that this is not the final figure, given that there are still requests for the commission to go to the field to assess damage, especially where there are weekend settlements and owners are only now arriving at their properties.

Gagić emphasized that the bed of the Željeznica River after these floods is filled with mud and that every slightly heavier rain threatens the river to overflow its banks, as happened on Friday in some places.

- Without cleaning a large part of the watercourse, it will not be possible to prevent flooding of the coastal area along the Željeznica in the future - warned Gagović.

He added that water supply has been established for the Trnovo local community of Kijevo, but it is still not satisfactory.

- Work is underway to relocate the water supply route from the Željeznica canyon, towards the village of Oglavak. The terrain is difficult and inaccessible - said Gagović, explaining that during the floods, mud and silt penetrated the water pipes that ran through the canyon, making them impassable for water.

Stating that some households in Kijevo, due to the interrupted network, have no water or sufficient pressure, Gagović said that after the floods, due to questionable water quality in this settlement, as well as in Trnovo itself, residents are advised to boil it before use.