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Students Endure Two-and-a-Half Days Without Water at Belgrade Dormitory
🇷🇸 Serbia /Disasters & Emergencies

Students Endure Two-and-a-Half Days Without Water at Belgrade Dormitory

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Students at the "Košutnjak" dormitory in Belgrade were without water for two and a half days, facing difficult conditions during hot weather.
  • Residents reported a lack of timely information from dormitory management regarding the cause and duration of the water outage.
  • The issue stemmed from a fault on the drainage side, beyond the building's water meter, with responsibility for repairs unclear between the dormitory and external services.

Students residing in Belgrade's "Košutnjak" dormitory endured a severe water outage lasting two and a half days, exacerbating discomfort during hot weather and highlighting communication failures.

When I saw we had no water for several hours, I went to the dormitory administration to see what was going on. No one was there except the doorman. They told me the manager had been informed of the problem but was on vacation.

— Milica LukićDescribing the initial lack of response from dormitory management.

Milica Lukić, a resident, recounted her attempts to seek information from dormitory management on Sunday, July 19th. She found no one available, with the manager reportedly on vacation. "When I saw we had no water for several hours, I went to the dormitory administration to see what was going on. No one was there except the doorman," she explained. "They told me the manager had been informed of the problem but was on vacation." Even the student representative offered only to bring bottled water, which Lukić deemed an inadequate solution.

Further complicating matters, Lukić contacted the Belgrade Waterworks, which reported no issues or planned work in the area. However, an email from the Waterworks later indicated a fault on the drainage side, originating from the water meter. They clarified that while the Waterworks maintains the street network, internal installations are the responsibility of the building owner or user, requiring them to contact their contracted maintenance company.

Yes, the first game was not good, we couldn't adapt well to the court conditions where the wind was very noticeable.

— Milica LukićExplaining the difficulties faced during the water outage.

During the outage, the dormitory lacked functional toilets, and without air conditioning, the situation became unbearable. A water tanker arrived only on July 20th in the afternoon, after numerous complaints, and was primarily used for drinking water. "You can imagine what a situation that is. It's a terrible experience," Lukić said, adding she had to go to a nearby restaurant to fill water bottles. The Students' Center has yet to respond to inquiries about air conditioning in its dormitories.

You can imagine what a situation that is. It's a terrible experience.

— Milica LukićExpressing her distress over the conditions during the water outage.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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