Balkan social aid challenges: Zadar public kitchen usage and Kula waste dispute

In Zadar, Croatia, the municipal public kitchen serves 360 residents, with about 300 receiving meals daily and 50 home‑delivered due to illness or old age. City council members will vote on amendments to the public needs programme that includes the kitchen, shelter, social self‑service and one‑off cash assistance for those in unexpected hardship.

In the village of Kula near Gacko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, returning Bosniak residents have filed a petition demanding an end to the dumping of mining waste (jalovina) and general waste from the Rudnik Mine and Gacko Thermal Power Plant onto public lands and private property. They cite contaminated water, damaged roads and threats to health, and request an independent environmental impact study and protection of private lands.

Both cases highlight the vulnerability of low‑income populations in the Balkans and the pressure on local authorities to address basic food provision and environmental health concerns.