“Erosion, deforestation, and the thinning atmosphere demand urgent action to preserve life” – this is one of the themes of a book by academic Munir Jahic. A month after the disaster in Jablanica, Konjic, and Fojnica, he spoke in an interview about potential tragedies on the horizon: from settlements near Trebevic to Trgovska Gora, where nuclear materials, if stored there as planned, could easily spill into Bosnian and Herzegovinian (BiH) rivers in the event of a natural disaster.
With over 20 human casualties and still incalculable material damage, nature has struck back. With climate change, disasters like the one that hit BiH in October could become more frequent, which is why we must respond proactively.
“Everything happening within a given space, and all plans for future developments, must be specified in foundational documents in every country. These are spatial plans, that need to cover what should be repaired, what should be built, and what should be demolished. For current buildings where some people want to remain and others never wish to return, we must carefully assess and determine what can feasibly happen in that area moving forward,” Jahic warns.
He also cautions that nearly two-thirds of BiH consists of erosion-prone areas susceptible to such occurrences, and this will only intensify with relentless climate change.
Danger also threatens populations near Trebevic and Trgovska Gora
There is a possibility of danger to populations in the Trebevic area as well, he added.
“I often go to Trebevic and see what is happening there. If I held a political position or worked in a ministry, I would seriously question how certain permits were granted for what is happening there,” he emphasized.
According to Jahic, this situation necessitates that mayors, as well as the highest authorities across the country, take action: if there are existing records of occurrences, new actions should be taken to create updated registers. This will require both time and money, but it will be worth it.
Another piece of advice is to green the areas around torrential streams.
“Construction excess was discarded into waterways, reducing the water’s space to flow. This impacted the surrounding terrain, which, when saturated and affected by underground waters, will become looser. In the event of an earthquake, this could lead to an exceptionally large problem,” he warns.
Jahic believes we should expect various issues – not only in areas near Trebevic or directly by rivers.
“I am part of the expert team for Trgovska Gora. I have visited that location nine times. One of the issues there could be the torrential streams. Some colleagues have jokingly been ready to mock me over this. But it’s a seismic area. If an earthquake occurs, which we cannot predict, storage facilities intended for nuclear waste disposal could tumble into the Una and Sava rivers,” he stated.
He mentioned that this location is entirely unacceptable for BiH experts, while Croatia has not abandoned its plans, N1 writes.
E.Dz.
