Serbia: rain gardens against downpours

Rain gardens have been planted in 10 cities in Serbia to combat the catastrophic consequences of rainfall. The initiative belongs to the Faculty of Forestry of the University of Belgrade and the organization “Propulison”. According to the project's landscape architect, Amela Grex, rain gardens are an innovative response to the challenges of accelerated urbanization. Thanks to the scientific selection of plants, landscaping helps absorb excess water, reduce the load on drainage and sewerage systems, improve the microclimate of cities and stimulate biodiversity.

The green initiative was sponsored by the largest mobile operators in Serbia, as well as the municipalities of Belgrade, Becej, Kragujevac, Nis, Novi Pazar, Novi Sad, Smederevo, Sombor, Subbotica and Cacak. General Manager of network operator A1 Dejan Türk emphasized the clear evidence of the negative consequences of climate change, in which everyone must make an active contribution to preserving the environment.

Famous cultural figures from Serbia joined in creating an environmentally friendly and beautiful project. Ordinary townspeople also built rain gardens in the company of artists, writers and TV presenters. At the end of autumn, the results of joint work will be presented and evaluated on a special website www.svetkakavzelis.rs. However, it is already clear that rain gardens are an organic and effective way to improve the ecology of cities.