State of emergency declared in Zvornik: Large wave coming down the Drina River

(Patria) - Due to the rapid rise in the water level of the Drina River and problems with water supply and electricity in the Zvornik area, the City Emergency Situations Headquarters at today's session declared a state of emergency in the Zvornik area.

"Unfortunately, during the night, there was a rapid rise in the water level of the Drina River. This morning, we received information that the HPP 'Mali Zvornik' had to release huge amounts of water because there was a sudden, unforeseen rise in the Drina River upstream. According to the information, the current water flow at HPP 'Bajina Bašta' is 2350 cubic meters per second, so we expect 2500, 2600, and perhaps even 2700 cubic meters per second in Zvornik in the afternoon, which is a huge increase. Unfortunately, the information for the coming days is not optimistic, as an additional rise in the Drina River's water level is expected. Our services are on the ground, and damage has already been caused, as two cars ended up underwater. What is good is that the Sapna, Hoča, and Drinjača rivers are within their banks and do not currently threaten the population. We will do our best to prevent major damage. A very large wave is coming from Foča and Bajina Bašta, which unfortunately we cannot influence much," stated the commander of the City Emergency Situations Headquarters, Bojan Ivanović.

Members of the Civil Protection Service and the Zvornik Fire Department are already in the settlements of Terminal and the weekend settlement in Šepak, where they are undertaking certain activities, and the population has been informed about the potential danger. Sandbags are being prepared in the Jadar business zone, and machinery is ready.

The Zvornik City Administration is in constant communication with all relevant companies and services, and activities are being directed towards the most endangered areas and households, in accordance with priorities and possibilities dictated by weather conditions.

"Regarding the electricity supply, we have received assurances that normalization will occur very soon. This morning, households in Boškovići, Petkovci, and Šetići received electricity. Šepak, Branjevo, and Pilica should receive electricity during the day. The problem is Zelinje and the power line in Kamenica, which is completely broken under the weight of snow. We expect Zelinje and Drinjača to also receive a stable electricity supply, and 'Elektro-Bijeljina' informed us that they will try to provide voltage from the direction of Milići. Due to the power outage, the water supply is also threatened, both in the places without electricity and in the city itself, as a significant part of the city zone is supplied from Zelinje. For the parts of the city without water, the utility company will deliver water via tankers," Ivanović announced.

The City Administration will continue to monitor the situation on the ground and inform the public promptly about all important information, appealing to citizens for patience and understanding until the problems are fully resolved.

The Civil Protection Service appeals to citizens that if they feel any danger and notice rivers and streams overflowing their banks, they should inform the Civil Protection Service by calling 056/210-853, it was announced from the City of Zvornik.