ReliefWeb

Director of the Croatian Mine Action Centre (CROMAC) Mr Dražen Jakopec spoke of the mine situation on the territory of the Town of Petrinja and planned humanitarian demining operations in the current year at the press conference held on Wednesday, March 25, 2015 in the Small Town Hall in Petrinja.

At the beginning of press conference, CROMAC director was welcomed by the mayor of the Town of Petrinja Mr Darinko Dumbović.''You are welcome in our city and, when we look at all the things you have so far done for us, all we can say to you is a big thank you. We have to continue organizing ourselves, hold meetings and do what we need to do because the safety of our citizens is what comes first. Unfortunately, besides mines, we are faced with natural disasters. Therefore, part of the embankment from Drenčina to Mošćenica that is now a part of suspected hazardous area (SHA) will be included into this year’s Deminining Plan’’, said the mayor Dumbović.

Director Jakopec informed that the SHA of Sisak-Moslavina County was reduced last year for 12 km2 out of which the SHA of the Town of Petrinja was reduced for 6,6 km2. He added that the continuation of systematic demining of Kotar Forest is CROMAC’s strategic goal in this year as well as in 2014 and 2013. Considering the above-mentioned circumstances and bad statistics (27 mine incidents since 1996 with 12 fatalities), in the past two years through 16 demining projects financed by total of 17 million HRK, the SHA of Kotar Forest was reduced for 3,8 km2. Almost the entire amount of last year’s donations has been allocated for demining of Kotar Forest. To be more precise, these were donations made by the Principality of Monaco in the amount of 225.000 EUR during three-year period 2013-2015, donations of INA Ltd., Croatian Lottery, Privredna banka Zagreb, Orbyco and donations raised through the work of «Croatia without mines-Trust Fund for Humanitarian Demining of Croatia».

It is planned by Humanitarian Demining Plan 2015 to reduce the SHA of Sisak-Moslavina County for 24,8 km2 and the SHA of the Town of Petrinja for 9,7 km2.

Through the Rural Development Programme, it is planned to demine 8,3 km2 of agricultural areas in 2015 in Sisak-Moslavina County most of which are the ones on the territory of the Town of Petrinja (settlements of Glinska Poljana, Gore, Gornje Mokrice and Župić, area south of river Kupa in the settlement of Novo Selište, area north of the Town of Petrinja to the river Kupa along the Nova Drenčina and on the territory south of Mošćenica settlement). These are all suspected hazardous agricultural areas on the territory of the Town of Petrinja (except one small area in Gora settlement).
In addition, it is planned to demine part of the water supply system route Petrinja-Sisak totalling 22.578 m2. This will ensure better maintenance.

In 2015, it is planned to continue with systematic demining of Kotar Forest totalling of 1,3 km2.