The city of Belgrade refuses to solve the problem
Tropical days have become real hell for the residents of the Padinska Skela neighborhood in Belgrade. In the part of the year when the mercury in the thermometer exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, poisoned water flows from their taps, which was also confirmed by the City Institute for Public Health. It is suspected that the water was poisoned due to poor management of the water supply by an unauthorized company.
In the settlement of Padinska skela, municipality of Palilula, five local water supply systems that supply water to the settlements of Besni Fok, Vrbovski, Široka greda, Preliv, Dunavac, Kovilovo and Jabučki rit are managed by the Agro-Industry Corporation (AIK) AD Belgrade, contrary to the law on communal activities, as well as acts of the City of Belgrade. The supply of citizens with drinking water can only be carried out by a public company under the jurisdiction of a local self-government unit, which AIK is certainly not.
According to the decisions of the City, water supply in the entire municipality of Palilula is the only one authorized for water supply by JKP Belgrade Water Supply and Sewerage (JKP BVK). However, the City of Belgrade did not comply with the legal deadlines to transfer management to a public company, and it also completely ignores the decision of the Republic’s inspector from 2016, which orders it to bring the water supply into line with the law within two years.
The situation worsened further when, in these tropical summer months, the Institute for Public Health determined an increased concentration of arsenic in one of the water pipes and prohibited its use for drinking and cooking. Citizens inform us that they suspect that they are not informed in time, nor do they believe in the existing information completely.
Because of all this, the Right to Water initiative, together with the local organization Volim Padinjak, petitioned the City of Belgrade to include this problem in the agenda today, July 1, 2024, and to provide funds for the reconstruction of the water supply network as part of the budget rebalancing. Member of the City Assembly Anđela Ruvidić also tried to include this item on the agenda today, but it was rejected.
In addition to this petition, two environmental organizations requested the adoption of a decision on taking over water supply from AIK, preparation of studies on sanitary protection zones, and gradual connection of all local water systems into a single regional system of JKP BVK.
Due to the illegality of their work, they also submitted petitions to the republican and city communal inspection, as well as to the sanitary inspection of the Ministry of Health. The right to water and Volim Padinjak appeal to the institutions to react and provide clean drinking water to all residents, which is a basic human right and a prerequisite for life and health.