Sarajevo between garbage and water shortages, director salaries higher than ministers' but responsibility not accepted

Written by: Amra Vrabac

The Department of Public Utilities in the Sarajevo Canton has been causing headaches for cantonal authorities for years, and it seems that problems are only piling up year after year.

Constant breakdowns on the water supply network, an insufficient number of field teams, irregular waste collection, dirty and neglected streets, unmown grass and unkempt green areas – this is the picture of Sarajevo these days, greeting Sarajevo residents every morning, as well as numerous tourists staying in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Social media is full of criticism directed at the cantonal authorities and calls for the city to finally be cleaned and tidied up as befits a capital city.

However, it is evident that public utility companies have problems with the workforce, finances, and inadequate management. Once upon a time, workers fought for jobs in public companies, but now tenders are even being cancelled because no one applies.

At the head of KJKP Rad is Nijaz Salamović (NIP). His monthly salary, according to the register of appointed persons, amounts to over 3,798 KM, and his total income exceeds 4,000 KM.

The director of KJKP Vodovod i kanalizacija, Rusmir Salić (NIP), who uses every opportunity to point out that VIK has no money and that it will soon become illiquid, jeopardising workers' salaries, has a monthly salary of 3,302 KM, and his total income exceeds 3,500 KM.

Both of these salaries are significantly higher than, for example, the salaries of ministers in the Government of the Sarajevo Canton.

Regardless of the criticism Salić receives from the relevant Minister of Public Utilities, Bojan Bošnjak (Our Party), after he abolished payment points in utility service centres without consulting the management structures and enabled bill payment with a fee at BH Pošta branches, he faced no sanctions, nor did anyone raise the question of his dismissal, except for certain representatives on social media who, in the same Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton, voted for Salić's work report.

In recent days, water outages have been reported in several Sarajevo settlements that VIK did not announce, and the Gorica settlement was without drinking water for several days due to unpaid bills. Only today, after pressure from the Centar Municipality, and probably certain political structures due to the upcoming local elections, was regular water supply restored.

The Government of the Sarajevo Canton at yesterday's session made a decision ordering VIK to re-establish payment points in utility service centres by September 1. Salić has repeatedly spoken about water price increases, and this was also requested at the session of the Government of the Sarajevo Canton, which was appointed in March 2023, but the then minister Almir Bečarević refused to sign it.

The media yesterday published photographs from the city centre of Sarajevo, where a large number of tourists are staying. The placed waste bins were full, and garbage was scattered.

From KJKP Rad, they announced that street washing was carried out last night, but it is clear that waste collection activities need to be intensified during the tourist season. Sarajevo is preparing for the 30th jubilee Sarajevo Film Festival, and the least we can offer guests and tourists is a clean and tidy city, not for them to breathe the stench of scattered waste.

It should be noted that there are also irresponsible individuals who hinder the work of KJKP Rad employees by blocking access to containers with improperly parked cars, or by dumping bulky waste next to containers, on green areas, creating mini landfills.

When it comes to green areas, parks, and children's playgrounds, criticism has also been directed at KJKP Park because the grass is not mowed regularly, or some parts are mowed multiple times while others are skipped.

In recent days, the issue of animal living conditions in Pionirska dolina has been raised again. Although KJKP Park previously responded to criticism, claiming that the animals are old and that care is taken regarding their feeding and environment, this zoo still looks like a neglected space.

The basic salary of the director of KJKP Park, Adis Bešlić, amounts to 3,545 KM.

One of the bright examples of responsibility among directors of public companies and institutions is Amar Dovadžija. He was the director of JU Studentski centar. Given that he was not satisfied with the attitude of the Government of the Sarajevo Canton towards the needs of student dormitories and the accumulated debts burdening this public institution, he submitted his resignation, which was accepted.

Perhaps some other directors should follow his example, because soon the question of their responsibility will have to be raised when the city is buried in garbage and invisible from grass, or we are left without water.