No danger of floods on major rivers

BELGRADE - There is no danger of floods on major rivers, with the Danube, the Sava and the Morava rivers currently at medium or medium-to-high levels for this time of year, the director of the Srbijavode water management company Goran Puzovic said on Wednesday.

Puzovic told TV Pink that this means that the volume of water in those rivers has increased but that it is below the regular flood defence level.

Forecasts say that the situation will be stable over the next three to four days with no rainfall - more of which, however, is expected at the weekend, Puzovic noted.

Speaking about the Morava River basin, Puzovic warned that torrential floods could occur in some locations in case of major rainfall.

Puzovic said that he expects regular flood defence measures to be in place on the Sava due to the large quantities of water coming in from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, and also announced that the situation on the Danube will be monitored.

He said that he expects 30-40 tender procedures to be completed over the next 15-20 days to carry out the necessary works in the hardest-hit parts of western and central Serbia and prepare those areas for a possible new flood wave.

No part of Serbia has been spared from the consequences of the floods this year, Puzovic said, adding that forecasts from the national weather service had predicted precipitation of 40-50 litres per square metre, but that the actual rainfall was at 160-200 litres per square metre by Tuesday.

He added that he had warned of this year's problems with torrential waterways beforehand.

Photo Tanjug, J. Pap (illustration, archive)