The story of the flash floods that hit Jablanica in early October 2024 has been covered by almost the entire world. After two and a half months, with the new local authorities in the Herzegovinian town, life is gradually moving forward. The members of the Jablanica Municipal Council have taken on the upcoming challenges, and at the last session held this year, they adopted a Budget that allocates funds for numerous activities aimed at improving the quality of life in Jablanica.

The informal citizen group "Za Doljanku" has been actively working for years to preserve the natural beauty that Jablanica is rich in. Among these is the Doljanka River, where many locals have spent their summer days since childhood. It was this group, in collaboration with the Youth Organization "Prenj" from Jablanica and local activists, that initiated the "Radi za Radak" (Radak - a popular beach on the Doljanka River) campaign, requesting that funds for beach improvement and the rehabilitation of illegal dumpsites be included in the Budget. Both requests were included in the Budget, as well as a provision to include the Doljanka River in the beach improvement plans, which had not been done before. The good news is that twice as much funding as before has been allocated for the rehabilitation of illegal dumpsites, totaling 14,000 KM. After the floods, flash floods and landslides damaged the town's landfill, sending large amounts of waste into the canyon of the Doljanka River. As soon as it was possible, members of the informal citizen group "Za Doljanku" with collaborators began cleaning the riverbanks. Aware that a much larger budget and heavy machinery were needed for such a large-scale project, which could only access and clear the area, the representative of the NGO "Za Doljanku," Edin Salihagić, expressed satisfaction, stating: "Considering that our initiative had previously been allocated half the amount of money, we can be satisfied. We hope to secure additional funds from other sources for this purpose, and that by next year we will finally have the illegal dumpsites in Jablanica rehabilitated."

When it comes to beach improvements, the Jablanica Municipality Budget has allocated 20,000 KM, which is also double the amount that was previously planned. The "Za Doljanku" group believes that even more funds are necessary for this item, especially in areas that suffered devastation during the October floods, with a primary focus on the Doljanka River. However, they are hopeful that they will be able to secure additional funds from other sources once the assessment of the damaged beaches and their access points is finalized. "It is very difficult to set deadlines considering that we are approaching the winter period and unstable weather. The priority is to clean the banks of the Doljanka River before the start of the vegetation period. In spring, we will begin the rehabilitation of the beach access points and the beaches themselves. How much we manage to accomplish depends on the financial resources available to us", explains Salihagić.

Given that this is a large-scale project that exceeds the capacities of the informal group, they decided to and successfully activated all relevant institutions at the local and county levels. They emphasize that, through the "Radi za Radak" campaign, they will work with the authorities to find the best ways to rehabilitate illegal dumpsites and the access points to the beaches along the Doljanka River, as well as the beaches themselves. As they say, fortune favors the brave, so it is hoped that by the coming summer, the beaches of Jablanica will echo with the laughter and joy of children, as well as the smiles of the older generations who contributed to the success.