Muddy Water Woes in Karlovac: Cause Identified

The news in Croatian

1. zakopati
   Zakopati znači staviti nešto pod zemlju ili na mjesto gdje nije vidljivo. ↩︎
2. ventil (m.)
   Ventil je uređaj koji regulira protok tekućine ili plina kroz cijevi. ↩︎
3. tvrtka (f.)
   Tvrtka je organizacija koja pruža usluge ili proizvode na tržištu. ↩︎
4. frustrirati
   Frustrirati znači osjećati se nezadovoljno zbog prepreka ili problema. ↩︎
5. kvaliteta (f.)
   Kvaliteta označava stupanj dobrote ili vrijednosti nečega. ↩︎
6. gradonačelnik (m.)
   Gradonačelnik je osoba koja je na čelu gradske uprave. ↩︎

Translation

Text Comprehension

Question: Which areas in Karlovac had water problems?

Question: Who helped to solve the water problem in Karlovac?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English

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The Croatian city of Karlovac has recently found the primary cause behind the murky, non-potable water affecting the Dubovac and Borlin neighbourhoods. It turns out that key valves were inadvertently covered during the resurfacing of critical water infrastructure. This mishap occurred amidst the prolonged construction of the national road D6, a project which has faced multiple delays and cost overruns over its extensive three-year timeline.

The water company, Karlovački Vodovod, reported that they had to obtain special permission to excavate the area to free the buried valves. Kristijan Kolaković, leading the water supply sector, explained that after freeing the valves, they discovered missing components on a main line. This prompted the installation of new apparatus to redirect the water flow, a move expected to alleviate the hydraulic pressures that stirred up sediments causing the murky water.

Despite the road being opened to traffic in early 2022, it still lacks an official usage permit. The municipality and national road company, Hrvatske Ceste, seem to play blame games, with accountability for the issues still being hotly debated. Mayor Damir Mandić has called for a thorough examination of the situation to allocate responsibility.

Local residents, who have long endured water quality issues, are frustrated by the situation. A resident named Ivana expressed her disbelief, emphasising the disgrace of a city bordered by four rivers suffering from inadequate drinking water. Meanwhile, Hrvatske Ceste stated that the contractor had fulfilled all obligations under existing laws and transferred responsibility for water quality to the installation’s owner, ViK Karlovac, once the road was functional.

The project, initially valued at 50 million kuna, was executed by a company based in Sarajevo. The ongoing complications have left locals not only inconvenienced but also sceptical of long-term resolutions. Nonetheless, Kolaković has assured that the remaining valves are on order and anticipates that the water issue will be resolved within a month. However, residents in another area, Švarča, may not see improvements until after further projects scheduled by the end of next year.

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