Floods in Serbia in 2010 – Case study: The Kolubara and Pcinja river basins

Abstract

Riverine and torrential floods are the most significant natural hazards on the territory of Serbia. The potentially flooded area in Serbia with a 100-year return period is 15,198.07 km2 (17.2% of total area). Serbia is mostly threatened by the floods of small to medium-size torrential rivers mostly in late spring (from May to the end of June), a period characterised by intensive rainfalls of a few-hour duration. In the Pcinja River Basin, the town of Trgoviste was struck by a flood in May 2010. Two people were killed, almost 170 ha of land and 27 buildings were flooded (including 12 severely damaged), roads damaged or blocked, and 230 inhabitants evacuated. The flood in the Kolubara River Basin of late June 2010 affected 500 ha with 230 flooded households. Total damage was estimated at €370,000. In the watersheds studied, the 2010 floods were natural occurrences, but human action significantly aggravated the disasters. The messages to be learned help improve the system of prevention and the organisation of mitigation of flood damages, in order to reduce it to an acceptable level.