Sharing from Bosnia and Herzegovina:
In Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the last recorded rainfall was on May 29th (21 mm) — since then, we’ve had zero precipitation throughout June. This is unprecedented: looking at historical data (Sarajevo-Bjelave, 1949–2024), we have never had a June without any rainfall. The average for June is 88 mm, and even in the driest year (2012), there were still 12 mm.
Similar reports are coming from Serbia, where June was extremely dry, pushing concerns beyond meteorological and hydrological droughts to very clear socio-economic impacts due to expected yield reductions.
This raises important questions for our region:
- How is the situation developing in your countries?
- Are you seeing comparable rainfall deficits and stress on agriculture?
- How are your institutions responding — any new emergency measures, or acceleration of drought adaptation plans?
I would also like to thank my colleague Dr. Ana Vuković Vimić for raising and framing this issue so clearly in our recent discussions; it truly deserves more regional and global attention.
As a region, we often go under the radar in global drought assessments, yet it’s clear that Central and Eastern Europe is becoming increasingly vulnerable. Perhaps this is the right time to strengthen our regional voice and ensure we’re recognized as a drought-prone area in global adaptation dialogues.
Looking forward to hearing your experiences, data and thoughts — let’s exchange and maybe even lay foundations for stronger regional cooperation on drought risk reduction!
