(3 Jul 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pristina, Kosovo – 3 July 2025
1. Drone shot of half empty Germia swimming pool ++MUTE++
2. Various of half empty pool
3. Empty waterslide
4. Empty lounge chairs
5. Pan of pool, marks where water has dried up
6. Dry area of pool, pipe
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Bardh Krasniqi, CEO, Sport Marketing:
”Well I guess we have maybe the strongest heat wave that is currently affecting our country and also the region and unfortunately we have not been able to open the largest public pool in the country. Normally we fill it with water from the mountains in just six days, but due to the lack of rainfall and the drought the process is already taking us over three weeks.”
8. Mid of empty waterslide and half empty pool
9. Various of children playing with water in the city fountain
10. Sun behind tree leaves
11.Various of downtown Pristina
12. Various of medical team offering help and advice to citizens
13. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Arieta Pula, specialist in family medicine:
"The heat wave that has begun to reign here and in the region can negatively affect the well-being and health of citizens. In the city, as a primary medical service, we have started providing health services to citizens, such as measuring blood pressure, vital parameters and offering medical advice on how to protect ourselves from heat and high temperatures."
14. Various of bars using ventilators to fight the heat
STORYLINE:
LEADIN:
Europe’s sweltering heatwave has left Kosovo’s largest public swimming pool empty this summer.
The pool uses water from the mountains, but drought means it can’t be filled to help locals cool down.
STORYLINE:
It should be just the place to take refuge from the searing heat.
But the Germia swimming pool in Pristina is barely half full.
Last year, 4,000 to 5,000 people visited every day during peak season.
But today, the water slides and sun loungers are empty.
The pool needs 5.3 million gallons (20,000 cubic metres) of water.
And as Europe bakes in a blistering heatwave, that volume is hard to come by – especially as the facility would relies on the surrounding mountains for its supply.
”We have maybe the strongest heat wave that is currently affecting our country and also the region and unfortunately we have not been able to open the largest public pool in the country. Normally we fill it with water from the mountains in just six days, but due to the lack of rainfall and the drought the process is already taking us over three weeks,” explains Bardh Krasniqi, CEO of Sport Marketing, who manages the pool.
The heatwave and the prolonged lack of rainfall is making life tough across Kosovo.
Temperatures are expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 F) today (Thursday), and the Health Institute has called on the people to stay away from the direct sun.
It’s warned elderly people, children and those with health issues to stay home.
In downtown Pristina, a temporary gazebo provides a bit of shade for health workers to speak to locals.
"The heat wave that has begun to reign here and in the region can negatively affect the well-being and health of citizens. In the city, as a primary medical service, we have started providing health services to citizens, such as measuring blood pressure, vital parameters and offering medical advice on how to protect ourselves from heat and high temperatures," says Arieta Pula, a specialist in family medicine.
All countries in the Western Balkan region have been affected by the heat.
Serbia, too, is facing a severe drought as a period of very hot and dry water with no rain continues.
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