Nada Dragović, a Professor at the Facutly of Forestry (University of Belgrade) examines the current state of infrastructure in Serbia and the Balkans, and how it responds to natural disasters such as the recent floods that have befallen the region. She proceeds to suggest what steps are to be taken by the regional states in order to prevent similar catastrophic events in the future.
"In May 2014, we witnessed devastating floods in Serbia, which resulted in the loss of many human lives and enormous direct and indirect damage. After the initial shock caused by the sheer size of the disaster that had befallen us and feelings of empathy with people in the flooded areas, we started to wonder whether those floods had to have such horrific adverse effects.
In Serbia, the tradition of protection of soil against flash floods and torrential rains goes back more than a hundred years. Sixty years ago, socialist Yugoslavia put forth a development plan which included the regulation of torrential catchments. The need to protect populated zones, transport infrastructure, and agricultural areas from flash floods and the imperative to increase forest resources were a priority in our country impoverished by the Second World War."
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