Infirm municipalities after floods, support from government is required

Hundreds of families in Skenderaj and Fushe Kosovo have knocked on the doors of municipalities seeking recognition and assistance, while local institutions warn that without government support, facing the consequences of this disaster remains impossible. In this situation, demand for an emergency fund is becoming more urgent.

Skywright municipality spokeswoman Besiana Thaci says that by the end of last week, 317 families and some businesses have applied to assess flood damage.

While, the municipal commission has come to the ground to assess the damages and then determine the amount of compensation.

The “So by Friday have applied according to the Public Services Directorate, 317 families, which consider them damaged by the floods that occurred this month... Yes, yes, there have been businesses that have been damaged during these floods and I believe their applications have been completed. Now the commission from yesterday, the municipal commission for the assessment of damage from the floods has gone out on the field in order to assess the situation and then come up with other specifics as to how much damage has been done in the Sculered municipality”, she stressed.

According to Thaci, the state's hand to help municipalities, families and businesses overcome this situation is necessary.

Subsequently, the Skywd municipality with as much capacity as it does in the budgetary side as it does for the other aid it will give to the Scirtew families, but it certainly needs support from the central level of governance”, Thaci said.

Support from the central level also requires the municipality of Fushe-Kosovo, which in recent floods suffered a lot.

Public Services Director in the Government-Kosovo municipality Izja Doctor says the first January rainfall caused damage to the infrastructure and family economy that are impossible to rely on only the municipality.

The “Dations that have been caused, both in infrastructure and family economies, is impossible for the Kosovo Fushe municipality to cover all. But we're going to apply to relevant ministries of both infrastructure and relevant lines, and that's where we're going to get help and I hope we're going to meet in agreement... Some 20 families were evacuated from their homes. They're in rented quarters that will make municipal compensation. Some of them are among their relatives, who are now almost alone in the process of going back, after the damage assessment has been done in those homes, started cleaning them and returning to their homeland. But the municipality said even before it was insufficient to compensate”, he said.

According to him so far at the Commission to assess the damages, 306 requests have been addressed, while teams are already on the ground to assess the damage.

It's on the ground making the damage assessment. So far we have 306 requests that citizens have filed for the damage assessment as a result of the floods. This number of 306 thus enters family economies, businesses and all”, says the doctor.

The head of the Kosovo Communists Association, Sazan Ibrahimi, calls for the creation of an emergency fund for municipalities to have quick financial support in cases of natural disasters.

According to him, the need for this budget line adds the fact that renovations so far have been insufficient and delayed for families, businesses and damaged infrastructure.

As an association, we have requested a budgetary line, which we have called a municipal emergency fund so those financial means can be dedicated to natural disasters for municipalities so that citizens can benefit as quickly as possible. Because we also have cases in the relevant municipalities where the remittances have been made in small percentages, for example, 25% has become the reimbursement of resources for family economies by those wanted by citizens of the Republic of Kosovo. We have municipalities where businesses that have been damaged by the floods of past years have yet to be repaid, and we have municipalities that the mayors complain that infrastructure damaged by the floods of past years has not yet sat down. And it is a necessity of time for the central level to think that in the 2026 budget, a budget line for immigration support, of urgent support to municipalities concerning natural disasters”, Ibrahim said.

From thirst. The KP has sent questions to the Ministry of Finance, the Government of Kosovo and the Ministry of Local Power Management about whether they have received any requests for support from municipalities affected by the floods, and how they will be helped, but until this Monday, no response has been made.

The clashes, which began on January 5th according to the Agency for Emergency Management (AME), affected the Fushe-Kosovo municipalities, Malisheva, Rahovec, Kline, South Mitrovica, Vushterina, Drenas, Skenderaj and Gjakova.

The Kosovo government, in October 2023, has earmarked ninem euros for the recovery of family economies affected by natural disasters in the hit municipalities. /Kosovo priss