Improving living conditions for migrants in Bihać

Current situation:

There are currently 5 operational migrant reception centres in BiH, out of which the official reception centre “Lipa” in Bihac is the only one without stable access to running water for the migrants. There are around 850-900 migrants currently situated in “Lipa”, and they are residing in a tent settlement that was established after a fire in the camp in December 2020 that destroyed most of its infrastructure. The lack of a stable water supply in “Lipa” has had some serious consequences, such as a recent outbreak of scabies among the migrant population in the centre. During winter months, there is a relatively decent amount of water coming to the centre from a nearby water spring, enough for 600-700 people. However, not only are there more than 700 migrants in the centre at all times, but also the spring runs dry in the warm spring and summer months.

There are two other potential water springs within 1,5 – 2 kilometres of the reception centre, but they have to be accessed and merged with the existing spring to provide enough water for the current and possible future migrant population. If the water sources are combined, there could be enough water for 1,500 to 2,000 people, even during the summer months. The currently used water source Lipa has a capacity of 30 m³ of water per day, but by connecting source Lipa with the (newly built) water source Begovac with it’s 216 m³ capacity, the total water capacity for the camp LIPA will be around 243 m³ per day (24 hours).

The electricity supply for the camp is currently provided by generators, which will also be used for the newly built water supply. The city of Bihac is planning to connect the camp to the public electricity supply system, which is complementary to this project.

Objectives:

To improve living and health conditions of migrants in Bihac region by establishing a stable water supply system for the migrant reception centre “Lipa”.

Activities:

• Preparatory activities – signing of MoU with the City of Bihać, team establishemnt
• Preparation of the project design for the water supply in close cooperation with the public water supply company of the City of Bihać
• Tendering and contracting with the company for works
• Work performance under the HWI supervision and technical acceptance of works with the City of Bihac technical staff
• Additional actions for migrants
• Visibility actions – promotion of donor (if requested)

 Expected results:

• Improved sanitary and hygiene conditions in the reception centre.
• At least 800-900 migrants provided with a stable water supply.
• Contributing to a more positive perception of migrants among the local population.
• Increased sustainability of the reception centre location, even after the migrants are no longer there.
• Local ownership, participation, and relations with migrants improved through active involvement of the Bihac City government (co-financing, project design)