Who Will Be Held Accountable If Mini-Residential Blocks in Vodno Cause a Kočani-Like Tragedy?

The newsroom of the Fokus portal has been waiting for more than 20 days for an answer from the Protection and Rescue Directorate (DZS) on whether building 24 new mini-residential buildings in the forested part of Vodno — as foreseen in the initial version of the detailed urban plan “Barutana” — could cause serious safety consequences. Critics warn the risk does not belong only to surrounding residents, but to all of Skopje’s citizens, because the area has been declared erosion-prone.

The planning firm preparing the DUP, commissioned by the land-owning company, has been waiting for months for a response from the DZS — but the silence continues. In fact, the absence of an answer functions as a green light to continue the procedure, because regulations foresee its interruption only in the case of a negative opinion.

The key question is fundamental: does the silence release DZS officials from potential future responsibility? Jana Belčeva of the “Chance for Center” initiative has warned that what happened in Kočani could be repeated in Vodno, precisely because of the competent bodies turning a blind eye — including the Protection and Rescue Directorate. University professor Miroslav Grčev, meanwhile, explains that an institution’s failure to state its position does not stop the DUP approval process — but if unwanted consequences arise during the plan’s implementation, responsibility will fall on the institution that stayed silent and did not declare itself.

The warnings about erosion and landslide risks are not new and also appear in official documents. The local energy and climate plan of the Center municipality notes that urbanization pressure on the slopes of Vodno could activate erosion and dormant landslides, turning the area into a permanent threat to the capital.

Asked about this silence, DZS director Stojanče Angellov said: “Does this mean that one day, when I retire and forget I was DZS director, if some tragedy happens, someone should arrest me?”