Deliblato Sands: Fire Is Not the Only Threat, Tepić Says

Deliblato Sands Fire: Tepić Warns of Logging and Sand Theft

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According to Serbian opposition politician Marinika Tepić, the current wildfire is not the only threat facing the Deliblato Sands: she claims that timber and sand have been systematically taken from the special nature reserve for years, while executives of state-owned companies responsible for maintaining forests and water systems have grown considerably wealthier.

Following the wildfire raging across the Deliblato Sands in Serbia’s Banat region, Tepić, who comes from a Romanian family in Pančevo and serves as vice-president of the Party of Freedom and Justice (SSP), has made serious allegations concerning the management of the area and business circles linked to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) led by Aleksandar Vučić.

Her allegations carry particular weight against the backdrop of the fire itself: around 2,000 hectares of the Deliblato Sands have burned in recent weeks. At the time of writing, firefighters had still been unable to extinguish the blaze because of renewed winds and difficult terrain.

A native of the region

According to Tepić, what has been happening inside the special nature reserve has been shrouded in silence for years.

She claims that this is not simply a case of illegal logging, but that entire sections of forest have disappeared, while trucks have been used to carry sand away from the dunes.

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The opposition politician alleges that newly enriched business circles with interests in the sand, concrete and construction industries have profited from these activities, and that the Belgrade government linked to the Serbian Progressive Party provides them with business opportunities.

According to Tepić, these economic benefits are returned in the form of financial and electoral support for the Progressives.

These are serious allegations of corruption, and Tepić has not yet publicly presented evidence that would allow them to be independently verified. The SSP vice-president has, however, promised that her party will provide evidence to substantiate its claims in the coming weeks.

Tepić points to multimillionaire state-company executives

Tepić has been particularly critical of the state-owned companies whose responsibilities include water and forest management in Vojvodina and the maintenance work associated with these systems.

She claims that some executives of state-owned companies have themselves become multimillionaires while the condition of the systems under their management has deteriorated. Tepić further alleges that corrupt executives siphoned money out of state companies and subsequently laundered it through other businesses.

The edge of the wildfire in the Deliblato Sands seen from a drone (Source: Screenshot)

As early as 8 August, Tepić linked Vojvodina’s wildfire protection problems to the condition of the Danube–Tisa–Danube (DTD) water management system.

In a post published at the time, she named Srđan Kružević, former director of Vode Vojvodine, the public water management company in Vojvodina, and Vladimir Galić, Vojvodina’s provincial secretary for agriculture, alleging that part of the billions allocated to maintaining the water system had disappeared through fictitious works.

According to Tepić, experts have warned that low water levels in the Danube and inadequate maintenance have left the DTD canal system in a serious condition.

She alleges that a significant proportion of planned work involving pump repairs, canal dredging and vegetation removal was carried out only on paper, leaving the system unprepared for this year’s drought.

The wildfire flares up again in the Deliblato Sands

The immediate backdrop to Tepić’s political attack is the major wildfire in the Deliblato Sands, which has affected around 2,000 hectares and had still not been brought under control at the time of writing.

According to Tepić’s latest statement, the fire flared up again in the area towards Šumarak and Dubovac. She believes that officials appointed by the Serbian Progressive Party are attempting to downplay or conceal the true scale of the fire.

While the sea appeared to burn in Croatia, in the Deliblato Sands it is the sand itself that seems to be on fire – with people and animals suffering alike (Source: X platform)

The Deliblato Sands is one of Europe’s distinctive continental sand landscapes and is of exceptional conservation importance because of its flora and fauna.

The areas towards Šumarak and Dubovac are also connected to a landscape richer in water. Nearby are the lakes around Bela Crkva, the Nera River and the Zagajica Hills, while the Danube is also not far away.

“Pesak”, where children were taken for fresh air

For Tepić, the story also has a personal dimension. Among people who grew up in the Banat region, the Deliblato Sands is often known simply as “Pesak” – “the Sand”.

Tepić also referred to it by that name, writing that for local people the area is not merely a nature reserve, but part of their lives and childhood memories.

She particularly highlighted the distinctive microclimate of the sandy landscape. The Deliblato Sands has long been regarded as an area with favourable climatic conditions for people suffering from respiratory problems.

Its drier air, vegetation and comparatively cleaner environment than nearby industrial centres have attracted people suffering from asthma, allergies and other chronic respiratory conditions.

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According to Tepić, many children were brought here from Pančevo, an industrial city long known for serious air-pollution problems.

The politician also recalled her own family’s experience. She says that the air of the Deliblato Sands helped her son and that he no longer needs an inhaler they had once believed he might have to use for the rest of his life.

For Tepić, therefore, the area represents more than an ecological asset. In her words, Pesak was a “balm” for both physical and mental health.

And perhaps it can remain so – provided its sand is not carried away to feed Serbia’s gigantic construction projects.

Original Hungarian version: Delibláti-homokpuszta: Tepić szerint nem csak a tűz pusztít

(The English version of this article was prepared with the assistance of ChatGPT and reviewed by the BALK editorial team.)