Agreement reached on joint landslide remediation on Trebević

(Patria) - Canton Prime Minister Nihad Uk announced that an agreement has been reached on a joint action to remediate landslides on Trebević.

A meeting was held this morning with the mayors of the municipalities of Stari Grad and Istočni Stari Grad, Irfan Čengić and Bojo Gašanović. The meeting, whose main topic was resolving the issue of landslides threatening the safety of the population in the Sarajevo municipality of Stari Grad, was attended by Federal Minister of Environment and Tourism Nasiha Pozder, Director of the KS Construction Institute Belma Barlov, and Director of KS Civil Protection Dženan Brkanić.

The conclusion of the meeting is that all relevant institutions should be immediately involved in landslide remediation, with the aim of urgently resolving this issue.

"We have reached an agreement on issuing all necessary permits for the urgent remediation of landslides in areas that threaten the safety of our citizens. Our priority is human lives – they come first, and then we will ensure the protection of their property. In these situations, it is crucial that we react quickly and effectively to prevent further consequences and ensure a safe environment for all our fellow citizens. I thank the mayors for their constructive cooperation and support for this important project," Uk stated.

The preliminary report of the KS Construction Institute, as well as the Report of the Inter-Institutional Working Group and the conclusions submitted by the Municipality of Stari Grad, previously established, and reiterated at today's meeting, include specific measures for landslide remediation which entail:

- Stopping the dumping of material and installing fencing;
- Drainage in the lower part of the landslide and controlled diversion of water from the landslide body to the nearest recipient;
- Geodetic monitoring of the landslide;
- Slope remediation project;
- Removal of material according to the slope remediation project.

In the following period, and with the cooperation of these levels of government, these steps will be implemented, and all activities will be in accordance with the recommendations of expert teams and safety standards.

In accordance with these measures, it was concluded that the project task for the preparation of the slope remediation project, where construction material was illegally dumped, will be prepared by the Sarajevo Canton Construction Institute, and a drainage plan in the lower part of the landslide and a plan for controlled diversion of water from the landslide body to the nearest recipient will be made.

For the purpose of preparing the remediation project, as well as landslide monitoring, geodetic surveying of the entire site will be jointly carried out by the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Municipality of Istočni Stari Grad.

An agreement was reached, taking into account expert analyses, that it is necessary as an urgent measure to carry out the excavation of a ditch as soon as possible, and to close the culverts that are currently open on the ground, so that the situation on the ground does not worsen due to possible rainfall, and this is a measure that needs to be implemented in the coming days.

One of the urgent measures is also the prohibition of further dumping of construction material, and the attendees were informed by the Civil Protection Service of the Municipality of Stari Grad that during their continuous site visits, the continuation of illegal dumping of this material was observed in the immediate vicinity of the slope identified as the cause of the landslide, which poses an additional danger of soil movement due to additional pressure.

Mayor Gašanović announced that he will take appropriate measures and inform the inspection services to stop these activities. Also, Mayor Gašanović announced that at the next session of the Assembly of the Municipality of Istočni Stari Grad, approval will be sought for unimpeded access of federal and cantonal services to the site, so that the implementation of necessary actions can begin as soon as possible, and he will request the involvement of the Mine Action Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure safe movement at the site regarding the possible presence of unexploded ordnance.

Furthermore, taking into account the provisions of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Implementation of Civil Protection Tasks ("Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH", No. 36/01), it was agreed that the involvement of the Federal Civil Protection Administration and the Republican Civil Protection Administration will be requested, in accordance with their established competencies, in order to overcome the current situation and implement urgent measures for landslide remediation, and to eliminate the danger to human lives and material property in the area of the Municipality of Stari Grad Sarajevo.

The Municipal Council of Stari Grad Sarajevo, at its last session, adopted a conclusion by which the Municipality of Stari Grad will pay grant funds to Istočni Stari Grad for the implementation of urgent measures regarding this situation.

It was confirmed that all present are aware of the seriousness of the situation and the need for urgent action, and the measures to be taken in the coming days include a high level of coordination between local, cantonal, federal, and republican authorities.