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2022-12-02 00:00:00
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Gradačac is a small but vibrant town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with around 40,000 people and many local businesses. It is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and agribusiness, but has struggled with an unstable and insufficient water supply.
With support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Union (EU) and bilateral donors to the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), Gradačac has now extended its water network and upgraded its wastewater infrastructure.
“Gradačac is the most beautiful city in the world to me,” says Nevresa Jukan, who works in agriculture. Her family owns cattle and collects and sells milk from local dairy farms.
Not having access to clean drinking water made life difficult for Nevresa, both at home and on the farm. The family had to buy bottled drinking water and draw water from their own wells for hygiene purposes. The situation was exacerbated by high temperatures and low rainfall from April to November each year.
Many households in the southern part of Gradačac faced similar challenges. As the town expanded, more houses were built, but the water infrastructure did not necessarily follow.
A few years ago, Gradačac embarked on a mission to address the issue by upgrading its existing water system and building new infrastructure to connect the growing number of households.
With the support of the EBRD and donors, the city built 100 km of new water pipes, which helped increase the number of households connected to the mains supply to 80 per cent. The project also included the replacement of old asbestos pipes, considered unsafe, in the city centre, making it the first city in Bosnia and Herzegovina to completely remove asbestos pipes from its network.
The investment was financed with a €6 million EBRD loan and a €3.4 investment grant from the Western Balkans Investment Framework and Sweden.
“The quality of our everyday life has improved overnight,” says Nevresa. “We are a big household and we need water for cooking, cleaning, everything.”
Source:www.ebrd.com
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