UK and Brkanić visited the landslide at Ćurini njivama: Snowmelt can cause problems, 28 families evacuated

(Patria) - Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Nihad Uk and Director of the Cantonal Civil Protection Administration Dženan Brkanić visited the Ćurini njivama site today, where a landslide occurred in the past period.

Although Sarajevo Canton is not responsible for the landslide at this location, Prime Minister Uk said that KS could not wait for the competent authorities to act, in order to protect the lives and property of the citizens living in this area.

"We tried to contact the Ministry of Security of BiH, which is responsible for coordination, given that the landslide is located on the administrative line of the entities and poses a danger exclusively to the citizens and property of Sarajevo Canton, but we did not receive a response. Likewise, we contacted the Civil Protection of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Civil Protection of the Republika Srpska, from whom we did not receive a response. We relied on our capacities and finances, and with the Municipality of Stari Grad, we are solving the problem of Ćurini njivama," said Prime Minister Uk.

He emphasized that at the last session of the KS Assembly, the Law on directing funds for landslide remediation collected from a special fee was adopted, which ensures that the amount of one million KM is exclusively directed to the remediation of the landslide at Ćurini njivama.

"We have made one million KM of dedicated funds and 600 thousand KM secured by a signed Agreement with the Municipality of Stari Grad available to this municipality. So, we have provided 1.6 million KM for reconstruction and remediation so far. We have prepared the main project and participated in preparatory works and emergency interventions in 2025. The complete public procurement procedure will be carried out by the Municipality of Istočni Stari Grad, because the landslide is located on their territory, while the Municipality of Stari Grad, Sarajevo Canton, the Institute for Construction, and the Faculty of Civil Engineering will monitor the works," said Prime Minister Uk, emphasizing that the rapid melting of snow can cause additional problems.

"The snow is melting and new problems are coming. The second problem is floods that can occur if a large amount of snow melts rapidly. In the past three years, we have invested about 25 million KM for the remediation of watercourses in KS to eliminate flood risks. So, we are doing our best to protect the lives and property of people in our canton," said Uk.

The Prime Minister also added that the order of the municipal civil protection to evacuate precisely identified endangered houses on this landslide is still in effect.

"Two-thirds of the citizens from these houses have moved to alternative accommodation. We call on the remaining citizens to evacuate as well, because the order is in effect," concluded Uk.

Director Brkanić said that the situation at the Ćurini njive landslide is monitored daily, and that they receive daily reports from the Municipal Civil Protection Service of Stari Grad about the situation at the landslide.

"Benchmarks for measuring soil movement have been installed, and funds of 1.6 million KM have been secured through amendments to the law, so we expect to start with the remediation of this landslide as soon as weather conditions permit. We have called on various levels of government from the Federation of BiH, as well as from RS, to react, because the landslide is located on the territory of the smaller BiH entity and threatens the lives and property of the citizens of Sarajevo Canton. We have not received adequate responses, nor has anything been undertaken. I must emphasize that Sarajevo Canton has undertaken a series of activities to resolve the landslide itself - the main project has been prepared, and 1.6 million KM has been secured. The Municipality of Stari Grad has also undertaken its activities in cooperation with the Cantonal Civil Protection Administration related to the evacuation of the population. The municipality has carried out a partial evacuation, as 28 families have been evacuated. Based on all this, it cannot be said that nothing has been done, because it has been done within the limits allowed by the law itself. According to information from the Municipality, a public call for renting apartments has been re-announced, so if the situation requires further evacuation, in accordance with the protocol and procedures, residents of this area will have a place to stay," said Brkanić and added:

He also emphasized that the KUCZ KS has significantly increased its capacity in terms of personnel and material-technical resources thanks to the decisions of the KS Government and Assembly, according to which 100 firefighters have been hired in the past five years.

"In the last three years, more than 10 million KM has been allocated for strengthening municipal civil protection structures for equipping, implementing preventive measures, and also for paying damages incurred during the floods of 2021, which is a record amount," said Director Brkanić.