Building of flood barriers stepped up along River Sava

SID - Efforts to build flood barriers have been stepped up in the villages of the municipality of Sid - where the River Sava enters Serbia - with the river now overflowing after barriers in Croatia caved in.

Predrag Beslic, who is in charge of the emergency headquarters in the village of Bosut, said that the building of a second line of flood defence started in the village early Monday.

"We have managed to defend the village from the swelling Sava but, with the river overflowing and crushing barriers in Croatia, we now have water coming in from behind our backs. For that reason, we started building a second line of defence - about 4 km long - along the perimeter of the forests on the outskirts," Beslic said.

The barrier previously built near the floodgate at the confluence of the River Bosut and the Sava is still holding, but a similar job must be done along the other line of defence to stop the water coming in across fields and forests, he said.

The floodgate at the confluence is closed because the water level of the Sava is three metres higher than that of the Bosut, and the drainage pump deployed on the site is operating at full capacity to keep the floodgate from collapsing, he said.

Women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from the village, with all able-bodied men called up to build the barrier.

"We are not submerged yet - and I hope that we will not be - but the water is coming in and we do not know how large its quantity is since we have no information from Croatia," Beslic said.

About a dozen Vojvodinavode bulldozers and several sand lorries are being used to build the barrier.

Photo Tanjug, J. Pap