A Storm Tore Up Bitola's Streets: When an Average Storm Wrecks the Asphalt, the Problem Isn't the Rain

A strong storm hit Bitola overnight, with more than 40 litres of rain per square metre falling between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. The streets didn't hold - there's damage in the Bair and Badembalari neighborhoods, and the water took its toll on „Debarska“, „Bihać“ and „Karaorman“ streets, as well as on the road toward Kravari and Bistrica.

Three public utilities went into the field - „Niskogradba“, „Vodovod“ and „Komunalec“. Mayor Toni Konjanovski announced he was on site with the directors „to coordinate activities and speed up the remediation“. A fast response, no argument there - but the question is why every stronger storm ends with torn-up streets.

Forty litres of rain in three hours is a lot, but it's not a catastrophe that infrastructure shouldn't be able to withstand. When one average summer storm rips up a city's streets, the problem isn't the rain - it's what's under the asphalt and how long ago it was laid.

Repairing the damage will now cost money from the city budget - money that's always found for repairs, but rarely for prevention. The people of Bitola already know the sequence: storm, torn streets, photos on site, promises. Until the next storm.