Aside from the barriers, a total of 650 meters of wattle-fence dams – natural barriers made out of wattle – as well as the afforestation of 200 hectares and replanting grass on 18.5 hectares of land, contributes to the protection of the Novi Pazar population and their property from potential floods. This integrated approach to flood prevention and protection has justified its purpose back in 2014, and reaffirmed it in 2016, when Novi Pazar was sheltered from floods which befell Serbia.
The preparation of technical documentation for anti-erosion protection of the watercourse of Raška river began in 2010, during the PRO Programme, while the first construction works commenced in 2013, within the EU PROGRES Programme. During the last phase, the European Union and the Government of Switzerland have invested 250,000 Euros through the European PROGRES, into the construction of five barriers on the Ljudska, Kruševačka, Cvrnjska and Sebečevska River and Jusuf potok, which prevented the flooding of surrounding households, as well as the Novi Pazar-Sjenica-Tutin road.
Delić Enver, a local of Selakovac, has donated his land for the construction of the dam on Jusuf potok. In his words, even though his family and estate have never been seriously endangered by the flood wave, he nevertheless wanted to help his neighbours who fear the rivers overflowing during the rainy season.
“These simple constructions have already passed a ‘natural technical inspection’ during the November rains, when they decelerated the flood wave. As a result, the damage caused to Novi Pazar was minimal, compared to the surrounding area,” stated Milan Kolašinac, Sector Manager for Infrastructure of European PROGRES.
“The City has allocated funds for cleaning up the rivers, since the material damage caused by flooding in Novi Pazar amounted to over a million euros in 2013 only, while in 2011 it surpassed two million euros and seriously endangered 3,000 people,” said the Mayor of Novi Pazar, Nihat Biševac. The Mayor urged the citizens to be more mindful of their environment, since carelessness and inadequate waste disposal can sometimes contribute to the flooding.
“Investing in prevention measures pays off greatly – one euro invested in prevention has a sevenfold return value. In the same way, the construction of the anti-erosion barriers has proved to be an efficient protection system against flooding. Our donors have recognised this and gave their support to a similar anti-erosion project on the tributaries of the Pusta reka River in the municipalities of Bojnik, Lebane and Prokuplje,” explained Graeme Tyndall, European PROGRES Manager.
The timely creation of technical documentation is a precondition for infrastructural projects, and so the production of designs for the anti-erosion protection of the watercourse of the Jablanica, Vlasina and Pčinja rivers is under way. This should contribute to the flood protection of Leskovac, Lebane, Medveđa, Vlasotince, Babušnica, Crna Trava and Trgovište.
The main design for the watercourse of Južna Morava, which is still in its early stages, will serve as a basis for the Public Company “Srbijavode” to further develop detailed projects for the flood protection of Bujanovac, Vladičin Han, Vranje and Leskovac.
