Heavy rains have swollen most of the rivers in the Western Balkans, with the most critical region being along the River Drina, which marks the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, reported Radio Sarajevo on Thursday.

Floods have been reported in and around the Bosnian towns of Zenica, Bihac, Mostar and Sarajevo, but communities along the length of the Drina are most threatened by the surging water levels.

Evacuations are being conducted in Gorazde where the Drina burst its banks and has flooded the town center. A state of emergency has been declared in Foca, where more than 1,000 homes were without electricity overnight due to flooding, and in Bijeljina, where the occupants of 200 homes were relocated due to the rising water.

Across the river in Serbia, communities downriver of the Perucac hydro electrical dam near the town of Banja Basta are awaiting the next wave of rising water on the Drina. The flow of water at the dam is said to be 11 times greater than normal. An estimated 600 homes in Serbia are currently threatened by the flood waters.

December 02, 2010
XINHUA

• A Permanent Economic Emergency