In your opinion, how can Bosnia and Herzegovina avoid devastating consequences of floods in the future and how should the EU help with that?

• 20.06.2014.

Darjan Bilić,  Sarajevo Long-term lack of maintenance of riverbeds, negligence of investment in flood prevention, misuse of funds for emergencies and tolerating construction in locations where no master plan was adopted done by all levels of government directly leads citizens into danger. If we want to avoid these unfortunate scenes in the future, our government (municipalities, cantons, entities) should respect the laws which it itself adopted and inspection services should finally start doing their job. The EU institutions should monitor the implementation of the legal framework, help in equipping and educating departments and units that carry out the rescue actions of people and property in emergency situations. In the end, the EU should realize that excessive pollution combined with irresponsible, corrupt governments that do not perform the tasks in their jurisdiction with regard to natural disasters in BiH has direct consequences for the EU itself in terms of subsequent allocations of money for the reconstruction of the damage caused by the negative impact on our neighbouring countries and their ecosystems.

Azra Bašić,  Bugojno The EU can help by sending experts that can educate and train people on the ground in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We don’t have to re-invent the wheel when it comes to dealing with devastating floods. We can learn from other countries’ experience. The EU also besides remediation of flood-affected areas, could assist in training of people and organisations in case of various nature disasters in BiH, so nothing like this will ever happen again.

Maja Memić, Banja Luka About the consequences of flooding we should have thought before this happened. Natural disasters cannot be avoided but greater preparedness could somewhat mitigate the damage. What we now need to do is make a good financial plan with possible reviewing of the budget and allocate money for the flooded municipalities while EU funds should aim to help people whose homes were destroyed. Assessment and indemnity cannot be based on the principle “same for everyone”, but by the degree of damage and needs.The European Union can and should do only one thing and that is finding a way to make sure that money goes to the right place and it will do so by monitoring the entry of money and its distribution.

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