Are you ready to hear the harsh truth about how fires in Southern Serbia are slowly but surely steering us towards a water disaster? Aleksandar Anđelković, an assistant professor at the Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade and a city assemblyman, doesn’t hold back: Serbia’s water management system is built on neglect, corruption, and incompetence. Yes, you read that right! More than two-thirds of Serbia’s territory already faces permanent or occasional water restrictions, and most water sources are no longer state-owned. Water treatment plants are technologically outdated, and in Belgrade, parts of the distribution network still use asbestos pipes. In the Toplica district alone, fires have destroyed 75 houses, while pollution of water bodies and illegal occupation of riverbanks have become everyday problems. Climate change is sending clear signals – 8 out of 25 years this century have been extremely dry, yet we act like it doesn’t concern us. While we turn a blind eye, animals and nature will suffer alongside us. This mess will cost us even more, warns Anđelković. Will we finally open our eyes or keep sinking into our own irresponsibility? If you’ve got something to say, jump into the conversation – maybe your words will spark the change we desperately need!
