UNMIK/PR/1495
PRISTINA – Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Kosovo (SRSG) Søren Jessen-Petersen, accompanied by Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi and Minister for Environment and Spatial Planning Ardian Gjini, today visited some of the flood affected areas in Obiliq/Obilic. They surveyed the location where a major breach in the protective dyke around Kosovo B power plant was repaired overnight and were briefed by Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) officials on their efforts to resume operation of the power plant, which had to be temporarily shut down due to flooding.
Addressing the media at the site of the breach, the SRSG appreciated the swift and coordinated response of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC), KFOR, KEK, the municipal communities and the Kosovo government, to address the flood situation. “I am very pleased that together you have all addressed something that could have become a much, much bigger crisis. I want to single out the KPC for working all through the night with KFOR and KEK,” he said.
“There is an emergency task force established by the Prime Minister, under the leadership of Minister Gjini, on which we have KFOR, KEK, KPC and other agencies involved. There will be financial support from UNDP and others. So everybody is now pulling together to make sure that this crisis is as short as possible because of the impact on the citizens. We still have to be very vigilant in the next several days because of the weather. It is still a serious problem and nobody can afford to go back now and relax,” he added.
The SRSG was informed by KEK officials that, with the flood now controlled, they hope to have Kosovo B Power Plant operational very soon. The SRSG said: “We already have a lot of problems and breakdowns of power from plant B here. That of course has a direct impact on a lot of people who have already gone through some difficult moments here because of the extreme cold. So I think this quick response is really good to see. We wanted to come together to see that this is underway and supported.”
The SRSG also noted the problems on account of floods in other parts of Kosovo. “There was also a crisis in the North. Villages had to be evacuated this morning by UNMIK and KFOR. There the situation is also beginning to get better and some of the villagers may be able to go home to their villages this afternoon,” he said.
