Bosnia has its challenges, but one resource from which it strongly benefits is water. Water is everywhere, from the abundant rainfall in the north, to the snow that blankets its mountains in the winter, and hence in the rivers that lace across this practically landlocked country. Then you have the hot springs: driving through rural Bosnia yesterday, I saw random hot springs from which steam would gush from the ground. At a time when water contamination threatens many countries’ supplies, Bosnia’s water is fresh. You can drink it from the tap, and it’s good. Plenty of water even hovers in the air between Bosnia’s cragged peaks and lush valleys.
So geothermal energy is a distant but potential fuel source; rafting is a sport that could promote tourism even more; and the wines and fruits of Herzegovina to the south have plenty of water by which niche crops could be sold to Western Europe and even North America. Moving south from Sarajevo to Mostar, the first snow sprinkled on the mountains and farms reminded me that whatever obstacles Bosnia faces in growing its economy, many countries would be so lucky to have water remotely abundant to that of Bosnia’s.
