Skenderaj, Mitrovica, 22 January 2023
This morning, together with the Minister of Defense, Armend Mehaj, the Minister of Local Government Administration, Elbert Krasniqi, the two Deputy Ministers of Internal Affairs, Gashani and Dobra, as well as the KSF Colonel, Ejup Macedonci, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, visited the municipality of Skenderaj and the southern municipality of Mitrovica.
There he met the respective mayors of the municipalities, Fadil Nura and Bedri Hamza. They were informed about the situation in their municipalities and discussed the need for lessons learned in terms of responding and preventing similar situations from worsening. In these meetings, Prime Minister Kurti expressed his readiness for assistance through all institutional mechanisms. Together they visited the flooded settlements. In Skenderaj, the villages of Llaushë and Kuqicë, and in Mitrovica, the village of Lisicë, the Fidanishte neighborhood and Mitrovica Lake.
As government and central institutions, from the first moment, we have been helping the citizens in the areas affected by water floods. Both through the Emergency Management Agency and the KSF, to provide immediate support, and through the regional water supply companies to ensure a supply of drinking water.
In Skenderaj, professional pumping units intervened in the houses and areas where there were floods. In coordination with Public Enterprises, tanks for drinking water have been sent. After the requests received by the Municipality of Skenderaj, on January 20, for blankets and food, the Operational Center of the Ministry of the Interior fulfilled the request for 120 blankets and started providing three blankets for 500 people. KSF has distributed hygiene packages to residents.
In the Southern Municipality of Mitrovica, due to the floods caused by heavy rains, about 100 people have been displaced from their homes to be accommodated in different spaces. For the evacuated families, KSF has taken care of hygiene packages. Professional pumping teams have intervened in flooded houses and areas. Drinking water tanks have been provided in different areas of the city and villages. The water cistern was also provided to the Mitrovica Hospital. Meanwhile, by the Professional Firefighters Units, in some villages, side canals have been opened for water circulation and water level drop.
Commitment and support for the most affected areas and families in need continues today. It will continue tomorrow. The most important thing is that the damages are only material, and this is thanks to the work, involvement and solidarity of everyone with each other.
In the following days, together, we will work to repair the damage caused. But, apart from the consequence, we must also deal with the causes. For many years in a row, riverbeds have been damaged without permission, forests have been deforested without awareness, and infrastructure projects have been carried out without adequate planning. These have undoubtedly worsened the situation after the rains.
Last modified: January 25, 2023