There have been floods in cities across Kosovo as a result of heavy rainfall over the last two days.
Shtime declared a state of emergency after several villages were flooded, while the aggravated situation has also been reported in other cities such as Pristina, Ferizaj, Podujeva, Fushë-Kosovo, Gjilan and Kamenica.
"Last night until midnight we were on the ground with all local structures, firefighting teams and the Kosovo Police. Due to continuous rainfall, the riverbed has flooded several villages in the plain, in which case a state of emergency has been declared. The current situation is stabilized and since this morning our teams have been working non-stop to assess the damage, to intervene where there is an urgent need and to ensure that no family is left without help. We are in constant communication with the residents of the affected areas and every request is being treated with priority. The Municipality of Shtime will take all necessary steps to manage the situation and prevent further risks," wrote the mayor of Shtime, Qemajl Aliu on Facebook.
And Mayor Alban Hyseni wrote about the situation in Gjilan.
"Today, throughout the day, municipal teams have been engaged in the field at full capacity, monitoring the situation and intervening where possible to minimize the damage from the rainfall, which continues even at these moments. As a result of the high intensity rainfall, some areas in our Municipality are experiencing difficulties in the movement of citizens and vehicles. In this context, I call on all citizens to move only when there is an emergency and to use the city roads, avoiding the ring roads and those where there is an increase in water levels, including the Malishevë-Gjilan road, the Lower and Upper Livoç, the "Enver Miftari" road and areas near rivers," Hyseni wrote.
The Municipality of Drenas has also announced that emergency capacities have been activated.
"The rainfall warned by the Kosovo Hydrometeorological Institute is continuing and poses a risk of flooding in several areas of the municipality. The Directorate of Public Services and Emergencies has activated emergency capacities and our teams are on the ground inspecting the situation and taking immediate measures to protect residents and agricultural lands. We call on citizens to move carefully, avoid areas near rivers and streams, not to throw waste into water channels, to take care of the sewers and not to open manhole covers, as this increases the risk of blockages and damage. Any urgent situation should be reported immediately to the competent authorities", the Municipality of Drenas announced. "Due to the cleaning of waste near the bridge, Sokol Elshani Street will be temporarily closed until the works are completed. Municipal teams remain on standby for any case".
The Kosovo Hydrometeorological Institute has announced that over the past two days there has been an increase in river levels, while some of them have overflowed their banks in some segments.
In Pristina, the teaching process was canceled on Tuesday due to flood warnings.
KEDS has published a video showing its teams by boat reaching a location where there was a power outage in the Ferizaj - Viti segment.
"The KEDS team has improvised a boat to reach the site of the power grid outage in the Ferizaj-Viti segment, which has been flooded by recent rainfall. The road is impassable for vehicles, but our workers have found creative solutions and have reached the site. Despite the severe weather conditions, our teams are working non-stop to ensure the continuity of electricity supply throughout the country," KEDS wrote.