Three years on and earthquake reconstruction in Zagreb has barely started

Wednesday will mark exactly three years since the Zagreb earthquake. The March 22nd earthquake of 2020 measured 5.5 on the Richter scale, claimed one life and caused significant structural damage throughout the city center.

Citizens are unhappy with the painfully slow reconstruction effort, because while public institutions are being renovated, the reconstruction of residential buildings has largely not even started. Construction, Spatial Planning and State Assets Minister Branko Bačić, Science and Education Minister Radovan Fuchs and Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek were accompanied by Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević as they toured a number of construction sites on Tuesday.

For his part, Minister Bačić, who is heading up the reconstruction effort, admitted openly that reconstruction works have fallen woefully short of expectations: "As for the construction of replacement family houses we are absolutely not satisfied. It's not good, and it seems to me this is the worst part of the reconstruction effort following the Zagreb earthquake. The fact is that we did not pass the test with regard to building replacement houses. I am confident that by the end of April, actually it would be safer to say by early May, we will begin works on twenty-one replacement houses, in line with the deadlines set out in the documents. Fourteen of them in Zagreb and seven in Krapina-Zagorje County."

Mayor Tomašević was quick to point out that work on city buildings is proceeding, but that his administration is not responsible for the reconstruction of private residences: "As far as I know, the City of Zagreb is still the only one to succeed in completely reconstructing some of its institutions. As far as I know not one state institution has been completely rebuilt to this day. We have completed five schools and student dormitories, and in this sense I am satisfied. With regard to the reconstruction of private buildings, which is not our responsibility, obviously I am not satisfied."

Source: HRT