Drought stalks Serbia, harming livestock

SUVA PLANINA, Serbia (Reuters) -A prolonged drought and sweltering heat are taking their toll on villagers, livestock and crops in the mountains of southeastern Serbia, with animals starting to die.

Lack of rainfall since May has caused water shortages, wildfires and disruption to agriculture across the Western Balkans, also comprised of Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia,

At Serbia's Suva Planina (Dry Mountain), owners who take their cows and horses for summer grazing said the springs dried up too early this year.

"There’s not a drop of water ... animals are starting to die," said Ljubisa Petkovic, a herder from the nearby municipality of Gadzin Han.

Around 1,000 thirsty cows and horses milled round a few watering holes and springs, sipping sparse and dirty water from puddles.

Temperatures in Serbia on Tuesday stood at around 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) with several wildfires burning.

In late July, local authorities, alerted by cattle owners, drove water trucks up the Suva Planina pastures, filled a pond, and pledged to send more.

Nikola Manojlovic, 35, said he hoped for more state water supplies and warned that villages in the valley were also suffering from the drought.

"Corn has dried up ... we’ve had no running water in the village for three months now and we have no water here," Manojlovic said.

Meteorologists say Serbia may have a spell of rainy weather later this month, but it may not be enough to replenish the small rivers, lakes and creeks needed for the cattle to drink.

(Reporting by Branko Filipovicc; Writing by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)