Gradiška to get EUR 15 million in grants for wastewater treatment project

The municipality of Gradiška has signed two agreements on about EUR 15 million worth of grants for a German development bank (KfW) project that is expected to resolve the problem of wastewater collection and treatment.

The agreements were signed by KfW project manager Stefan Rabe, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH and Minister of Finance and Treasury Vjekoslav Bevanda, Republika Srpska Finance Minister Zora Vidović, and Gradiška Mayor Zoran Adžić, according to a statement from the BiH Ministry of Finance and Treasury.

Bevanda explained that the first agreement refers to a EUR 3.8 million grant secured by the Swiss government and implemented though KfW, while the other grant, of EUR 10.26 million, is being provided through an agreement on development cooperation between Germany and BiH.

The project is expected to be completed within three years

Preparatory works have already been launched, and the project is due to be completed within three years, according to the statement. According to earlier reports, the project involves an expansion of the sewer network and the construction of a wastewater treatment plant.

Gradiška to be first in BiH to resolve wastewater treatment

According to Bevanda, both grant agreements are being executed through KfW, which has had an excellent cooperation with BiH for years. He also said that the project is of great importance for the improvement of Gradiška residents’ quality of life, as well as environmental protection, according to the statement.

Gradiška Mayor Zoran Adžić said that over the next four years the city will be “one huge construction site.”

After that, Gradiška will be the first municipality in Republika Srpska and BiH to have completely resolved the problem of wastewater collection and treatment in its urban as well as suburban areas, Adžić noted following the signature of the agreements.

According to previous reports, Gradiška is one of 37 cities and municipalities in BiH that will get a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP).