Mustabašić: Aid to Maglaj is coming slowly and people are impatient, I fear road blockades

Regardless of the hardships, the people of Maglaj rejoiced for Bayram, mosques were full, and the joy of Bayram was shared with relatives and friends, said the Mayor of Maglaj Municipality, Mehmed Mustabašić, for the BH news agency Patria (NAP).

Today, in the village of Rječica, a memorial to fallen martyrs and defenders will be opened on the occasion of Martyrs' Day, even though Rječica is territorially part of the RS.

On the other hand, Maglaj is still facing the consequences of the May floods, as well as new ones, because the Jablanica river and its tributaries overflowed, damaging about 30 new facilities.

- The people expect help from the state. Everything we have done so far has been through humanitarian organizations, and we have exhausted all possibilities. We are contacting, specifically, embassies of countries that did not participate in the Donor Conference, and we are trying to secure something for the people of Maglaj – said Mustabašić, adding that about 100 landslides are still active.

- Five to six threaten residential buildings. In Bradići, the Commission for Damage Assessment is working to determine the number of unusable buildings, but it is very difficult to provide an estimate. We did not want to work arbitrarily; we have experts. Landslide remediation is a very expensive process. Many have to leave their homes. We are fighting, but aid is coming slowly, and citizens are impatient. I fear road blockades, of the municipality – Mustabašić told Patria.

The Mayor once again called on donors not to distribute aid arbitrarily, as there are frequent abuses where someone receives aid several times, and another not at all.

- I hope we will resolve that problem in a few days; we have updated lists according to which aid should be distributed – emphasized Mustabašić.