Ohrid farmers demand urgent riverbed clearing before autumn rains

With the arrival of autumn rains, farmers around Ohrid are growing increasingly worried about the condition of local canals and riverbeds that remain uncleared.

Locals say an unrepaired drainage network and obstructed riverbeds create a direct flood risk to arable land and can destroy harvests. Eco-activist and local farmer Vancho Stojanoski warned that the damage from the spring floods was substantial and that, despite repeated calls, no systemic solution has been implemented.

Farmers demand immediate field work

Stojanoski told reporters that further delays in clearing the channels will directly endanger the harvests and the livelihoods of farming families, who find themselves largely left to fend for themselves before the autumn rains begin.

He said the spring floods already left serious consequences. “In my case, the spring floods caused damage of around €10,000, destroying a plot that had been part of a research project in cooperation with the Institute from Subotica.”

Local farmers have issued a final appeal to the competent authorities for urgent on-the-ground intervention. They demand that heavy machinery be deployed immediately to clear critical points, warning that each day without action raises the risk of catastrophic losses to families and to domestic food production.

Photo: press material from the event