WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM, THANKS TO FUNDS FROM PRESIDENT OF SRPSKA

ČAPLJINA, MARCH 13 /SRNA/ - Funds for the construction of a water supply network in Prebilovci have been transferred from the Office of the President of Republika Srpska, which will mean a lot to the residents of this suffering Serbian village, said the president of the local community Aleksa Dragićević.

The implementation of this important project will be carried out with the support of the President of Republika Srpska and co-financing from the City of Čapljina.

The construction of the water supply network represents a major and important step for the further development of Prebilovci and the improvement of living conditions for all residents.

"We express sincere gratitude to the Office of the President of Republika Srpska for the support provided, as well as to the City of Čapljina for co-financing this significant project," Dragićević said.

Last year, the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik decided to allocate BAM 300,000 for the construction of a water supply system in the village of Prebilovci near Čapljina, which for the residents of this suffering Serbian village means life and survival.

This news delighted all people from Prebilovci, wherever they may be.

"For the residents of Prebilovci this means life. Water is the foundation for living. People struggled, drawing water from wells and filling cisterns... Summers are long, hot and dry, and without water life is unbearable. Now we will have the basic conditions for life," Dragićević said.

He stated that this is a historic day for the village, reminding that the construction of the water supply system had begun before the war but was never completed.

"Thanks to Dodik and the authorities of Republika Srpska who always show love and understanding for Prebilovci," Dragićević said.

He added that the Government of Republika Srpska previously allocated BAM 200,000 in two installments for the water supply project in Prebilovci.

"A project has now been prepared in cooperation with the mayor of Čapljina Iva Raguž so that every restored house will receive a free connection, as well as the Church of the Ascension of Christ, the future parish house next to the church, the playground, and the cultural center," Dragićević added.

The funds intended for the water supply system in Prebilovci have been transferred to the public utility company Vodovod Čapljina, whose director Ante Maslać said that every household will receive water within six months.

"A lot of things have already been done and prepared. We need to submit certain requests. There is a request for about 40 connections, including the church and the cultural center. Around BAM 400,000 is needed, while the remaining funds will be secured by the City of Čapljina and Vodovod," Maslać said.

Dodik also secured funds for the construction of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Prebilovci, which was built and consecrated in 2015 in memory of around 4,000 Serbs from Lower Herzegovina killed by the Ustasha during World War II, whom the Serbian Orthodox Church canonized in the same year.

The church was built following the model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, a symbol of resurrection and life, and its construction was also supported by the Serbian diaspora.

In August last year, Dodik announced in Prebilovci that a monastery complex and a memorial of national significance would be built at this Serbian site of suffering.

Prebilovci is a symbol of the suffering of Serbian Herzegovina during the time of the NDH /Independent State of Croatia/ and the most devastated village in Europe during World War II. In August 1941, out of about 1,000 residents, 823 were killed, mostly women and children.

Today, 45 people live in Prebilovci, and in addition to the church, a parish house is being built in order to establish a monastery.