The Right to Water initiative strongly condemns the negligence that led to the reappearance of nematodes (rollworms) in the water from the city water supply in Novi Sad, as well as the performance of the city leaders who drank a glass of water in front of the cameras and thus relativized the problem. The neglect and subsequent deterioration of the system led to the fact that citizens are once again receiving health-disputed drinking water, which is an inadmissible violation of the basic right to water as well as current regulations on the hygienic correctness of water. We demand urgent measures to ensure the availability of hygienically correct drinking water in terms of all physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics defined by the relevant Rulebook, as well as the full responsibility of those in charge of ensuring the public interest in water supply.
Repeated problem with nematodes in the water
The official analysis of the Institute for Public Health of Vojvodina confirmed the presence of nematodes in a water sample from the reservoir of PUC “Vodovod i Kanalizacija” Novi Sad, taken on April 15. This is the second time in a short period of time that such worms have been found in Novi Sad’s drinking water, which clearly indicates that we are not talking about an isolated incident, but about a systemic problem of water supply. These cases show serious failures in maintaining the hygienic correctness of water and the maintenance, development and improvement of the water supply system.
Water restrictions and lack of investment in infrastructure
Problems with water supply in Novi Sad are not limited only to the appearance of nematodes. We remind you that many parts of the city and suburban settlements suffered water restrictions months ago – frequent disconnections during the day and night – due to insufficient capacity and dilapidated infrastructure. Losses in the Novi Sad water system are as much as 30%. The cause of these restrictions lies in the chronic lack of investment in the water supply system: pipes that have expired, asbestos pipes, pipes constructed without adequate anti-corrosion protection, which results in frequent bursts and sources that are insufficiently protected. Solving the problem of waste water treatment and expanding the sewage network is also necessary. At the same time, the number of connections to the city’s water supply network is constantly growing as the city expands, but this growth is not accompanied by the necessary investments in the expansion and improvement of the network.
Misleading moves by the government instead of solutions
We express particular indignation at the way in which representatives of the city government tried to minimize this problem. Instead of acknowledging the seriousness of the situation and immediately working on a solution, they staged a frivolous performance in front of the cameras – they demonstratively drank water from the tap to convince the public that everything was fine. We believe that such misleading of citizens is inadmissible and extremely irresponsible . Such moves do not solve anything; on the contrary, they insult the intelligence of citizens who know very well what comes out of their tap. We demand that the authorities stop with propaganda tricks and instead focus on substantive solutions to this problem.
This is especially problematic when we know that in the Juznobački District, to which Novi Sad also belongs, according to a report from 2022, there are more hygienically defective public water pipes than those that are correct. It is insulting for the whole of Vojvodina, where only every fifth public water supply meets the criteria of physico-chemical and microbiological correctness.
Health risks of water with and without nematodes
According to the latest available report of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia from 2022 regarding the health suitability of drinking water from public water supply systems, 11 public water supply systems were controlled in the Juznobačka District, where in less than half (5 in total) the health safety of the water was found, in one the physical and chemical defects of the water were found, and the other five had combined microbiological and physical and chemical defects of the water. In total, looking at the region of the AP Vojvodina, only 9 (20.9%) public water supply systems met the conditions of water health, while in the others, physico-chemical, microbiological or combined water failure was noted.
Although the authorities claim that these microorganisms have not been found in large numbers and that they do not pose a direct threat to the health of citizens, their presence in drinking water can represent a serious hygiene problem. Nematodes in the water system can be an indication that the filtration and disinfection process is not fully effective. Moreover, expert studies have shown that nematodes can transmit bacteria and thus provide them with protection from chlorine and other disinfection methods.
Demands of the “Right to Water” initiative
We demand the immediate implementation of the following measures from the competent institutions and responsible persons:
- In view of the data that is publicly available, which concerns hygienic defects found in numerous public water supply systems in the territory of the Juznobacka district and AP Vojvodina in general – we demand better risk communication by the competent institutions, first of all the Institute and Institute for Public Health. Instead of persistently denying the problem, it is necessary to inform the public what are the specific challenges in water supply, that is, what physical-chemical and microbiological malfunctions are involved, and how citizens should act to protect their health. Providing healthy drinking water must be an absolute priority for competent institutions.
- Urgent remediation of critical points of the water system – Immediately clean and disinfect tanks, pipes and water treatment plants in places where contamination has occurred. It is necessary to determine the hotspots where nematodes have entered the system and remove them immediately , so that the water becomes microbiologically suitable for drinking as soon as possible.
- Urgent investment in the reconstruction and modernization of the infrastructure – Without delay, provide additional funds for the long-term reconstruction of the water supply network in order to reduce the losses to an economically, ecologically and technically acceptable level significantly lower than the current 30%. This implies the replacement of old and dilapidated pipes, increasing the capacity of water treatment plants and building new springs or wells as needed. Only with systemic investments can we prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future.
- Provide cisterns with water for the population suffering from restrictions – drinking water shortages must be compensated in a way that does not cost the population additional, as well as does not produce unnecessary plastic waste. We believe that in emergency situations, a way must be found to provide citizens with enough water for basic needs.