The Government of the Republic of Serbia announces the solution to the water supply problem. Good news or cause for concern?
At yesterday’s so-called “thematic session of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, dedicated to issues of strategic importance”, fifteen minutes were devoted to the problem of water supply. This could be good news if we do not live in broken institutions that have long since failed to represent the interests of citizens and the principles of environmental protection. During the session, numerous claims and speculations were made that deeply concern us and to which we must react as an initiative that has been highlighting systemic problems in the water supply in Serbia for years. Water must be economically accessible, and water supply problems are the responsibility of the system, not individuals. Whether for drinking, technical or waste water, citizens need to know which contracts, agreements and memoranda are concluded and which technologies and at what price are negotiated on their behalf.
The Minister for Public Investments, Darko Glišić, correctly stated that a large part of Serbia is facing serious problems in water supply, due to neglected infrastructure and huge losses in the network, especially on dilapidated asbestos pipes. As he stated, “it’s like a water factory producing 10 liters, and eight are spilled because the pipes are drilled.” The minister estimated that the restoration of only the most endangered areas requires around 5 billion euros, noting that the real number of endangered local governments is significantly higher.
Outdated development models
The right to water indicates that these announcements completely overlook the problem of rural water supply systems, which remain outside the institutions’ statistics, and which are the most vulnerable. These waterworks are completely neglected, and people are left to their own devices. Local governments, even when they formally take over the management of rural waterworks, do not invest in their maintenance or complete reconstruction.
Apart from additional funds for infrastructure, which are undeniably necessary, there is also a need to revise the outdated plans on the basis of which, unfortunately, water systems are still being developed. By inertia, the solutions from the 70s of the last century are transferred to the present day. For the social, climatic and economic conditions that existed at the time, huge reservoirs and regional waterworks were planned, which today are completely outdated and inadequate for what we face in reality. Institutional inertia is so great that even when practice shows that some solutions are completely wrong and unsustainable, those solutions are insisted on to the detriment of the public interest and the human right to water. The Stubo-Rovni reservoir was built, it has not been used for ten years, he warns. Unfortunately, no lessons were learned, so we continued with Svračkov on Rzava, Selova on Toplica, Bogovina on Crni Timok.
Serbia, a country that is actually relatively poor in water, should focus on the optimization of local water sources, their protection, the announced reconstruction of water supply systems and greater flexibility in planning, bearing in mind the growing climate changes. There is no one-time solution or investment for this urgent need, but requires constant investment and understanding of its importance.
Water price, privatization and public interest
For the Right to Water, the biggest concern is the response that followed, especially when it comes to the price of water. The President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated that the problems are largely due to the fact that water is “cheap” and that is why it is “irrationally used”, with the message that the state should not “subsidize water forever and thereby buy survival in power”. This interpretation is deeply problematic.
The Right to Water initiative reminds us that the right to water and sanitation is a basic human right, recognized by the United Nations. Water is not a commodity, but a public good, and it must be accessible, healthy and financially affordable for everyone. In a large number of countries, there is a guaranteed minimum of water for drinking and basic hygiene that is free of charge or is charged symbolically. We oppose the increase in the price of water for households, and the higher price could only be paid by those who use water for profit.
The narrative that implicitly presents water as a luxury through the mention of more than 3,000 alleged swimming pools in the vicinity of Belgrade or the assertion that rural and suburban households “do not insist” on water and sewage until they solve the roads and achieve a certain standard of living is of additional concern. Such an approach ignores the fact that, according to official data from the report of the National Environmental Protection Agency, around one million, and according to the international methodology of the United Nations, as many as 1.5 million inhabitants of Serbia occasionally or permanently do not have access to clean drinking water. Such a massive problem cannot be the result of the lifestyles of a few individuals but of a bad system, deeply and long-term wrong policies and lack of investment.
Non-transparent announcements and warning of consequences
The seemingly spontaneous announcement that a solution to the problem of drinking water would appear “soon” , as usual, came verbally and without any details. Previously, we could see similar news on the social networks of officials only when the documents with the companies were already being signed. We have a special concern for the execution of these projects in the context of:
- Objectively huge costs of necessary investments and opportunities for corruption if non-transparent international agreements continue
- Bad state of public companies dealing with water supply, in terms of finances but also professional staff who have the capacity to introduce changes
- Amendment of the Law on Utilities, which allows private companies to deal with water supply, which has already led to a fourfold increase in the price of water in Zrenjanin
- Controversial privatizations of the Institute for Water Management “Jaroslav Černi”,
- The non-transparency of the “Clean Serbia” project, both in terms of technology and finances,
The Right to Water initiative warns of international experiences in the privatization of water supply that speak of huge price increases, lack of service to less profitable users, destruction of public infrastructure, dismantling of public and utility companies, monopolization of companies, loss of sovereignty in the management of natural resources, and in some cases, armed conflicts over water. The correctness of our allegations is also demonstrated by the reverse process of remunicipalization, i.e. the return of the water supply system to public ownership in countries such as France and Great Britain, after all these enumerated negative effects have manifested themselves. We appeal not to repeat other people’s mistakes. Water must (p)remain a public good, and the right to clean water and basic hygiene must be guaranteed to everyone without exception. In order to be in the public interest and really solve the problem of water supply, it is necessary that the announcements from the Thematic Session of the RS Government materialize into a strategic, planning, legislative framework that will be created in a broad dialogue, adopted in cooperation with the professional public and citizens, and then implemented.
