{"id":93604,"date":"2023-09-19T14:26:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T12:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/vershimet-ende-e-zene-kosoven-ne-befasi\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T16:08:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T15:08:56","slug":"floods-are-taking-kosovo-by-surprise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/floods-are-taking-kosovo-by-surprise\/","title":{"rendered":"Floods are taking Kosovo by surprise"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"93604\" class=\"elementor elementor-93604 elementor-93319\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-537e708 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"537e708\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b721791\" data-id=\"b721791\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45ebc34 elementor-hidden-desktop elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"45ebc34\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93304\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-326x183.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3f2dc47 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default 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data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93304\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Feature-Image_001-326x183.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-316d55e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"316d55e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dfbe278\" data-id=\"dfbe278\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8ec250c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8ec250c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Floods are taking Kosovo by surprise\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f5c66d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3f5c66d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><br><br>Climate change, riverbed degradation and too much concrete threaten unprepared municipalities.\n<\/h4>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ca279d elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text elementor-widget-divider--element-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"5ca279d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-divider__text elementor-divider__element\">\n\t\t\t\t19\/09\/2023\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4947f45 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4947f45\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/author\/uranhaxha\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" style=\"text-decoration:  underline; text-decoration-color: yellow\">Uran Haxha<\/a><\/p>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ca832fb elementor-widget-divider--view-line_text elementor-widget-divider--element-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"ca832fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8622c4c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8622c4c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-41a7f71\" data-id=\"41a7f71\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-967909f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"967909f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Across Kosovo and the Balkans more broadly, news reports about floods have become com<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mon, especially during the spring and summer months.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cities in Kosovo have been flooded twice this year. In January 2023, floods damaged Skenderaj, Mitrovica, Podujeva, Istog and Klina. In Skenderaj alone, flood damage was estimated at close to 12 million euros and 300 residential houses were damaged.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In June several cities were flooded again, with Peja facing the most severe damage. A woman and her five year-old son lost their lives after their backyard in the Asllan Qeshme neighborhood was flooded. After several hours of searching, the woman&#8217;s body was found far from her backyard, where the water had carried her.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flooding has become more frequent due to climate change. Since 1981, global average temperatures have<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/kosovotwopointzero.com\/en\/ep1-the-earth-is-at-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at a rate of 0.18 degrees per decade. Today, the earth is 1.2 degrees warmer than in the pre-industrial era. Changing temperatures have disrupted the ecosystem and resulted in more extreme weather with increased droughts in some places and excessive rain in others. The increasing frequency of floods is mentioned in the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gzk.rks-gov.net\/ActDocumentDetail.aspx?ActID=29356\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2019-2021 Climate Change Strategy Action Plan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> drawn up by the Kosovar government. The Action Plan states that the effects of climate change are already evident in Kosovo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Climate change has also made it difficult to predict natural disasters. For example, hydrology \u2014 the study of the water cycle \u2014 can help make big-picture predictions about the frequency and intensity of flooding in a given place. In Kosovo, January 2021 floods reached levels last seen 42 years earlier in 1979. Then, against predictions, the same level of flooding occurred again only two years later in 2023.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4aac029 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4aac029\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c737915\" data-id=\"c737915\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b581f8c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b581f8c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_006.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93214\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_006.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_006-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_006-1024x699.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_006-768x524.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_006-1536x1048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_006-326x222.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">The city of Skenderaj during floods in January 2023.  Photo: Sefer Aliqkaj.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9a8817d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9a8817d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-eff8d88\" data-id=\"eff8d88\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5804f4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d5804f4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flood risk is not only a result of climate change; it is exacerbated by the degradation of riverbeds and poor infrastructure, due to the concretization of green spaces and river basins.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several Kosovar institutions at the central and local level that deal with flood risks. The Hydro-Meteorological Institute of Kosovo (HMIK) and the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) are primarily responsible at the central level for predicting, issuing warnings about and managing floods.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Regional Authority of River Basins, within the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (MESPI), is responsible for drawing up flood risk maps for Kosovo\u2019s river basins, but none of the maps are finished.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment was drawn up by the ministry in 2021 and outlines the flood risk assessment for all river basins. According to MESPI, the Flood Risk Map and Flood Hazard Map should be completed by the end of the year. This map is the result of data collected over the years from institutions and will clearly present which regions are at risk of flooding if there is heavy rainfall.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the floods in Peja, Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti promised a new strategy in response to climate change as the previous one only covered the years 2019-2021. Kurti said that<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=alkXYaLAnYM&amp;t=59s\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an investment of <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1.3 billion euros<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in infrastructure is needed to adapt to climate change.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the primary responsibility for these issues lies with each municipality, which is supposed to prepare and implement risk assessment and emergency response plans as required by<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gzk.rks-gov.net\/ActDocumentDetail.aspx?ActID=2775\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Law on Protection against Natural and other Disasters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The unexpected floods in January and June of this year showed that the responsible institutions are not fulfilling their duties.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0f95882 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0f95882\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-537bbf2\" data-id=\"537bbf2\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7723e85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7723e85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1487\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93298\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-1024x595.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-768x446.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-1536x892.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-2048x1190.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_002-326x189.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">The city of Vushtrri and its surroundings flooded in January 2021.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6fc8a72\" data-id=\"6fc8a72\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-125d626 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"125d626\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2560\" height=\"1450\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93295\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-1024x580.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-768x435.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-1536x870.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-2048x1160.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Vushtrri_001-326x185.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Photos: Narcis Drevinja.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-25665f7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"25665f7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-01d4233\" data-id=\"01d4233\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c74debc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c74debc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Human factors are increasing the risk of flood damage<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kosovo&#8217;s waters flow in nearly 50 rivers and hundreds of streams, which are divided into four river basins: White Drin, Ibar, Morava e Bin\u00e7\u00ebs and Lepenac. The White Drin, at 110 kilometers including streams and tributaries, is the longest river in Kosovo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since high mountains surround Kosovo, the waters from the mountains flow into the lower areas.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two types of flooding threaten Kosovo: urban floods \u2014 when rivers flow directly into cities \u2014 and river floods \u2014 when rivers exceed the capacity of the river bed and overflow. Increased rainfall due to climate change directly affects the capacity of riverbeds to hold enough water to prevent flooding.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Lavdim Osmanaj, an expert in hydrotechnics, climate change can be observed when the amount of precipitation that normally falls in a month falls within just one hour. This happened on June 24 of this year in Peja.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within 64 minutes, 56.4 liters of rain per square meter fell in the city of Peja. According to experts, there is no infrastructure that can handle this amount of water. Peja\u2019s Lumbardhi River and water canals overflowed.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d328078 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d328078\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-52a3c0a\" data-id=\"52a3c0a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8b8a201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8b8a201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93182\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Lavdim-Osmanaj_001-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Lavdim Osmanaj, professor at the Technical Faculty of the University of Pristina. Photo: Atdhe Mulla \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bb889a8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bb889a8\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-197cc36\" data-id=\"197cc36\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e1a1c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"44e1a1c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;It was a typical urban flood. According to my calculations, this amount of rainfall in such a short time should only happen once in 70 years,&#8221; said Osmanaj, as he showed his data models.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data for floods in Kosovo does not go back far. The Hydro Meteorological Institute\u2019s records only date back to the floods of 1979, when the whole country was hit.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;There were also floods in 1963, but we have no records, though there are also some photographs of Ka\u00e7anik around 1930,&#8221; said Bashkim Kastrati, a hydrologist at HMIK, who has closely observed Kosovo\u2019s rivers since after the war.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every year HMIK issues reports which it calls hydrometeorological yearbooks. Kastrati has compared the yearbooks from 1979 and 2021 and concluded that this level of flooding occurs approximately once every 50 years.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This institute receives data from 35 static hydrological stations on the main rivers and their tributaries across Kosovo. Half of these stations transmit data to the institute periodically online. Occasionally, the institute receives notifications regarding changes in river water levels.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Online monitoring stations are very important when it comes to floods. We see the trends of the water levels in real time, connecting it with the meteorological factor, with the forecast here and in the region. Since waters have no borders, rivers flow in from neighboring countries,&#8221; said Kastrati about the data, which is automatically sent to the European Flood Awareness System. This<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.efas.eu\/efas_frontend\/#\/home\" target=\"_blank\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">system<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> collects data from all over Europe and notifies countries that are at risk from floods. The same happens with Kosovo.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When hydrologist Kastrati receives these notifications he processes the field data in flood in calculation models.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Only after I am certain do I write the flood warning that goes directly to the Emergency Management Agency, to the media outlets and to members of the public,&#8221; he said, adding that notifications can warn of floods two days in advance, 24 hours earlier, or several hours before, but there are also floods that cannot be predicted.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After HMIK warns the EMA, the emergency agency raises the alert to municipalities, as the first institution that will handle the floods. When floods can no longer be managed at the local level, the EMA coordinates actions between central and local institutions.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although this notification system works, the director of the Preparedness Division at the Emergency Management Agency, Hajriz Sejdiu, said that Kosovo lacks two alarm systems. According to him, Kosovo has only one segment of the Early Warning System, if this system were complete, it would be significantly more sophisticated.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In addition, Kosovo also lacks a public address voice alarm system. He added that there is no unified radio communication network between response teams such as police, firefighters and ambulances. All three institutions lack real-time communication between themselves.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Kosovo, the human factor also significantly contributes to the increase in flooding.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to hydrotechnical engineer Osmanaj, some other causes of floods are: overbuilding on open canals; litter in rivers; deforestation, which causes landslides and flooding; the lack of maintenance of sewer systems; and the combination of fecal sewage channels with storm drain runoff.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The death in Peja happened in a house built next to the stormwater channel. Littering and blockages caused the stormwater channel to overflow, flooding the surrounding area.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The maintenance of stormwater channels and cleaning of riverbeds is often not done properly. Hydrologist Bashkim Kastrati, who monitors riverbeds daily, has seen the damage this causes to rivers.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ddff864 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ddff864\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fbbdf13\" data-id=\"fbbdf13\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a1f5e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1a1f5e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"621\" height=\"943\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_karakteri-3_004.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93176\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_karakteri-3_004.jpg 621w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_karakteri-3_004-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_karakteri-3_004-326x495.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Bashkim Kastrati, hydrologist at the Hydrometeorological Institute of Kosovo. Credits: Personal photo.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e169644\" data-id=\"e169644\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e773a6d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e773a6d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;Sometimes they pull out the trees by the roots [near the riverbeds]. And after this we can expect for the soil to fall completely because there is nothing to hold it. This causes a lot of damage,&#8221; he said.<\/p><p>If you wander through the cities of Kosovo, you can see many stormwater channels and riverbeds that are completely concreted over. Water moves quickly through concrete as there are no stones or trees to hinder its pace and it floods the lowest areas. The concretization of the riverbeds was done by the government, nominally to prevent flooding.<\/p><p>According to Osmanaj, the regulation of rivers in recent years has been carried out without hydrological analysis or flood analysis. &#8220;We can see the problem now, on the ground, with the flooding,&#8221; he said.<\/p><p>According to Kastrati from HMIK, when the concrete storm runoff channels are planned there is rarely interest in monitoring how much rain falls in Kosovo so that the channels can be built accordingly.<\/p><p>&#8220;We have rain gauges, which designers and engineers should have to know the water volume when designing channels. But little attention is paid to that. I think that awareness often requires an event to trigger it. After these last floods, awareness has been raised,&#8221; said Kastrati.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3d90bd2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3d90bd2\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fb3a7b1\" data-id=\"fb3a7b1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ed388e5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ed388e5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"letter-spacing: -0.1px;\">In urban areas, floods are also happening more often due to urbanization. When neighborhoods with houses are demolished to make way for multi-story buildings, the land under the concrete and asphalt is no longer able to absorb water during storms, causing increased flooding and runoff.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is also noted by hydrologist Sokol Xhafa, who is the technical director at the Regional Water Company Prishtina. According to him, the lowest areas suffer most in these cases.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;The roofs are usually rolled roofing, or whatever the roof material, all the water goes through the gutters into the sewer system and the ground does not absorb anything. Then the lower areas suffer because the water ends up there,&#8221; said Xhafa.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flood damage has also increased due to the concretization of river basins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning has not responded to questions about the conditions of river basins. The ministry\u2019s Inspectorate has also not provided requested information about inspections or decisions about demolitions or fines.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Hajriz Sejdiu from the EMA, who has monitored floods for 10 years, the focus should be on prevention more than reaction. Floods can even occur in places with stable infrastructure. But factors such the concretization and degradation of river beds, construction in high risk areas and asphalting green spaces increase the damage that floods cause.<\/span><\/p><p><b>Everyone&#8217;s unprepared for floods<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every municipality in Kosovo has now experienced flooding. But as the first line of response, the municipalities are still unprepared.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We have an overview of how many municipalities are prepared for each phase \u2014 their preparation is lacking,&#8221; said Sejdiu from the EMA.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The municipalities have been unprepared for a long time. Ten years ago, the hydrologist at HMIK, Bashkim Kastrati, called the mayors of Kosovo&#8217;s municipalities on the phone and asked them to provide a contact person in case of flood warnings. Only half of them responded to the request.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the municipalities in Kosovo do not have a Municipal Directorate for Protection and Rescue, which would deal specifically with natural disasters. According to Sejdiu, when municipalities have directorates, they exist only as a phone number.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-30d759d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"30d759d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ab18655\" data-id=\"ab18655\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b301a85 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"b301a85\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93179\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershimet-ne-KS_Hajriz-Sejdiu_001-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Hajriz Sejdiu, Director of Preparedness at the Emergency Management Agency.  Photo: Atdhe Mulla \/ K2.0.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bbbeb35 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bbbeb35\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-84eb2b9\" data-id=\"84eb2b9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3db3b00 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3db3b00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;With the effects of climate change, it is impossible for a municipality to be managed without such a professional directorate. Most of them do not have such directorates, and the ones they have are lacking, with non-professionals and their budget is often transferred to other directorates,&#8221; said Sejdiu, who added that the EMA has a training center where municipalities can send personnel and volunteers, but interest is low.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kosovo\u2019s municipalities are also drafting a Detailed Atmospheric Waters Plan, which would include everything about atmospheric waters, from its collection to its management and flood prevention. According to the engineer Osmanaj, no municipality in Kosovo currently has such a plan.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the Law on Protection from Natural and Other Disasters, each municipality must have an Emergency Response Plan and Risk Assessment.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All the cities that were flooded during January and June of this year have not completed these documents, they are awaiting approval, in revision or being drafted. Possessing an emergency response plan, which is based on risk assessments, would enable the municipalities to have a clear plan for protection and rescue in the face of disasters.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fires, floods and droughts are also included in the risk assessment. These documents also contain scenarios detailing how to respond. According to Sejdiu, this practice also requires evacuation and reaction training.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sejdiu has witnessed municipal directors and mayors hinder emergency teams in carrying out their work even when these documents exist.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Their role in the emergency headquarters is to send deliveries of food, water or other equipment for the teams in the field. It is an unorganized mess, with a lot of stress and no results,&#8221; he said, while recalling that he had witnessed this situation in Skenderaj and Mitrovica during the recent floods.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On January 19, 2023 serious flooding occurred in Skenderaj as the Klina River and the P\u00ebrroi i Keq overflowed. Skenderaj did not have an Emergency Operational Plan or Risk Assessment Plan. According to the Skenderaj municipality, it is in the process of drafting the Emergency Operational Plan, which is expected to be approved soon by the Municipal Assembly. The Risk Assessment Plan has not yet been completed.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8ddf02c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8ddf02c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d172f51\" data-id=\"d172f51\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ca9f4e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2ca9f4e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93253\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_019-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Skenderaj after floods in January 2023. Photo: Sefer Aliqkaj.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5bd477b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5bd477b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-092d13e\" data-id=\"092d13e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2761fae elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2761fae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In June, the T\u00ebrstena and Podranqa rivers flooded, as well as other rivers in Vushtrri. Ferit Idrizi, mayor of Vushtrri, followed the legal path and organized the emergency response and formed the Emergency Headquarters, which he led himself. This municipality had a Risk Assessment Plan, but the Emergency Response Plan was under revision. The damages from the floods were considerable, but the municipality of Vushtrri does not yet have a monetary estimate.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mitrovica has both documents under review, which are required by the Law on Natural and Other Disasters. When there are heavy rains, Mitrovica is at risk from flooding from the Ibar, Trep\u00e7a and Sitnica rivers. The damages from the recent floods in January are estimated to cost 8 million euros. The blocked part of the Lushta River is a critical point in the city and the municipality has already taken measures to clean it.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Rahovec many smaller streams flow into the White Drin. When heavy rains cause the river to swell, the resulting floods inflict significant damage in the city and nearby villages, which are known for their agricultural crops, primarily grapes. In January 2023 the damages reached nearly 104,000 euros. The most severe impact was felt during the grape harvesting season, as the harvest was diminished due to the floods.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rahovec has a history of flood damage due to its low elevation. However, according to the municipality, streams are cleaned frequently and four new drainage canals are being constructed to prevent flood damage. According to experts, the weak points are illegal constructions, illegal dumping of inert waste, and narrow bridges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meanwhile, the municipality of Peja said it had finished the Emergency Operational Plan and that it is now dealing with the construction of new drainage channels and the cleaning of the existing ones. Other municipalities also said that they are doing the same. But if these actions were done regularly, according to the experts, the floods would leave behind less damage.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4dfb361 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4dfb361\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d3518e7\" data-id=\"d3518e7\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-996de44 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"996de44\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"695\" height=\"482\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Peja_004.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93316\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Peja_004.jpg 695w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Peja_004-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Peja_004-326x226.jpg 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">The city of Peja during and after June 2023 floods.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-07ac205\" data-id=\"07ac205\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d29026 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7d29026\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"710\" height=\"494\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/floods-peja.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93331\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/floods-peja.png 710w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/floods-peja-300x209.png 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/floods-peja-326x227.png 326w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 710px) 100vw, 710px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Photos: Peja n\u00eb fokus.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2e858ef elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2e858ef\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f0c0007\" data-id=\"f0c0007\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fb090a4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fb090a4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>&#8216;When a disaster occurs, everyone is ready to cooperate&#8217;\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sejdiu from the EMA said that the post-flood analysis, which would identify gaps and opportunities for improvement, is hardly ever carried out.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;When a disaster occurs, everyone is sensitive and ready to cooperate, but it only lasts for a short period of time. Even the mayors and the central level seem to forget the disaster after a time, and continue on the same course,&#8221; said Sejdiu, adding that there should be consequences if the municipalities do not fulfill their obligations.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The EMA inspectorate should ensure compliance with the Law on Protection against Natural and Other Disasters, which also oversees fines for institutions that do not comply with the law or report disasters. But the inspectorate is passive.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whenever disasters happen, the government promises recovery aid. But help is often delayed. The state budget does not have an emergency fund for disasters. The Association of Municipalities of Kosovo requested the creation of an emergency fund after the recent floods, but so far no concrete steps have been taken towards its establishment.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers has not answered as to whether the promised funds have been given to the municipalities. Some municipalities have complained that they have not received a single cent.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cPublic interest and decision-making lasts for 10 days. Then the intensity reduces. There is no further interest,&#8221; said Sejdiu, who will soon retire. He suggested that imposing penalties on municipalities might be the only way to encourage them to prioritize disaster preparedness.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a983369 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a983369\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-41387fd\" data-id=\"41387fd\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d768327 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d768327\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-93250\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018-326x217.jpg 326w, https:\/\/archive.kosovotwopointzero.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Vershime-ne-KS_Skenderaj_018-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\">Photo: Sefer Aliqkaj.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4ba0c2d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4ba0c2d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bbcf774\" data-id=\"bbcf774\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b96ef29 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b96ef29\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>Feature Image: Sefer Aliqkaj.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 80%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i>The content of this article is the sole responsibility of K2.0.<\/i><br><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em style=\"font-size: 80%;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Curious about how our journalism is funded? 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