Sokolovac finally builds water supply for Jankovac and Vrhovac
The investment is worth 670,000 euros excluding VAT, and the 5,800-meter network should be completed by early next year. Residents say water is more valuable to them than gold.
The investment is worth 670,000 euros excluding VAT, and the 5,800-meter network should be completed by early next year. Residents say water is more valuable to them than gold.
After nine years of waiting, residents of Jankovac and Vrhovac Sokolovački, located in the Sokolovac municipality, have finally seen the start of work on the construction of water supply infrastructure. For years, they struggled with dried-up wells, and now, as they told Podravski list, the construction of the water supply is akin to a big lottery win.
Work began three weeks ago, and the investment is worth 670,000 euros excluding VAT. The project involves laying pipes over a length of 5,800 meters, as well as the construction of a pumping station in Jankovac, which is crucial for reliable water delivery.
The Sokolovac municipality spent a full nine years trying to secure the construction of a water supply network for these two settlements from Croatian Waters. Mayor Vlado Bakšaj pointed out that the terrain is challenging because the settlements are located in an elevated area.
"The terrain for the construction of the water supply network is challenging because these two settlements are in an elevated area, but our efforts to ensure the necessary water supply for households have finally borne fruit. All work should be completed by early next year, when all households should also have the possibility of connecting to the network," said Bakšaj.
He emphasized that all households have already expressed their intention to connect to the water supply, as have the owners of properties in these villages who only stay there occasionally, mostly on weekends.
Drago Ivančić from Jankovac is one of those who insisted for a full nine years on the construction of the water supply. He described what it's like to live without a secure water supply.
"The well we use is only enough to have a little water in the kitchen and to take a bath, but we have to be very careful with it. For drinking water, we go to neighboring villages or to those residents whose wells are still working decently. For years, we haven't been able to do laundry at home; instead, we take it to our daughter's in Rasinje. That's been our reality for nine years, and we can't wait for the beginning of next year when we'll finally be able to live normally," Ivančić recounted.
Gordana Gojković, who lives in Vrhovac Sokolovački, pointed out that her family has additional difficulties due to livestock farming. They dug a well in the meadow that isn't very reliable, and the surrounding streams have dried up, so there are days when they have to work hard to secure water for the animals.
"We manage in various ways, and it's not easy at all, especially during the summer dry periods and heatwaves. Some might find it strange, but water is like gold to us, and the construction of the water supply network is the best thing that could have happened to us," Gojković described.
Her fellow villager Darko Križnjak emphasized that this is the most important investment for Vrhovac Sokolovački because almost all the wells in the village and its surroundings are on their last legs.
"Although our village, like neighboring Jankovac, doesn't have many households, water is something everyone must have, and we're overjoyed that we're very close to the day when we can connect to the network. Who knows, maybe the arrival of water will encourage people to move to our villages, because those who want peace and natural idyll have exactly that in our area," said Križnjak.
Those who have properties in Jankovac and Vrhovac Sokolovački but only come from time to time are also happy about the upcoming possibility of connecting to the water supply network. Spouses Bosa and Stevo Kolarić, who otherwise live in the Koprivnica suburb of Starigrad, bought properties in these villages with their daughter.
"My daughter and I bought properties here. We tend the garden here, and we go with containers to wells that haven't dried up to get water. When water reaches our properties, it will be much easier, and we won't have to bathe only in sweat but also in water," the Kolarićs said.
