Government Presents Key Achievements in Post-quake Reconstruction of Banovina Region

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck the region a year ago today killed eight people and damaged over 40,000 houses and buildings. The damage is estimated at nearly HRK 42 billion.

The main tremor and some 5,000 aftershocks created 149 sinkholes, 16 landslides and 14 liquefaction zones.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, 1,700 engineers and structural engineers inspected about 40,000 structures and marked 4,886 of them with red labels, 8,812 with yellow labels and 26,215 with green labels.

The presentation noted that the reconstruction process includes not just construction work but the comprehensive institutional preparation of reconstruction as well, and that the main goal is not to return to the state of affairs that had existed before but to improve this part of the country.

According to the data presented, over HRK 1 billion has been invested in mitigating the consequences of the earthquake and over HRK 2.4 billion has been secured from the EU Solidarity Fund. HRK 4.4 billion has been set aside for this purpose under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and US$200 million has been obtained through a World Bank loan.

The data show that 458 demolished structures have been removed and nine are in the process of being removed. A total of 5,666 people have been accommodated in 2,410 mobile homes and 260 in 93 state-owned flats, and the government is paying their rent.

A total of 1,108 family houses have been repaired, making it possible for 6,674 people to return to their homes. Work on 887 houses is under way.

A total of 8,180 requests have been submitted for non-structural reconstruction and contracts on reconstruction have been signed for 3,630 houses. As for seismic retrofitting, 420 conclusions have been made and project documentation is being made, after which tenders will be published for reconstruction work.

On Tuesday, a public procurement procedure was launched for the construction of apartment buildings in Petrinja (4), Glina (4) and Topusko (2). Construction work is expected to start three months after the launch of the public procurement procedure.

In the coming period the government has set as a priority the return of the 5,666 people currently staying in mobile housing containers to their homes, which is to be achieved by building 1,000 family houses and 800 housing units for more than one family, as well as with the seismic retrofitting of 1,000 family homes.

Also planned are investments in the traffic, energy and water supply infrastructure, where the earthquake damage has been estimated at HRK 314.55 million.

As regards the education system, 20 schools have been reconstructed, which cost HRK 10 million, and HRK 5 million has been allocated for the transport of students.

The government will help alleviate the damage caused by the earthquakes to the farm and forestry sectors with direct payments in the amount of HRK 35 million and measures designed for the affected farmers worth HRK 93 million.

As for the business sector, the government says that it has co-financed with HRK 30 million the establishment of an entrepreneurial centre and paid out HRK 14.2 million in 604 grants to small businesses.

A total of 19,650 jobs and the liquidity of 3,800 businesses have been preserved with HRK 315 million, the government says, noting that the number of workers in Sisak-Moslavina County has increased by 1,190 over the past year.

Concluding the presentation, the government noted that the reconstruction is a financially and administratively challenging and long-lasting process. “Foundations have been laid for a good and effective reconstruction process in 2022,” it said.