prijava
SARAJEVO, March 22 (FENA) - On the occasion of the World Water Day 2021, the association "Eco-Action" from Sarajevo organized today an online discussion "Is Sarajevo running out of drinking water?" which pointed out the problems related to the construction of facilities in water protection zones and the need to adequately protect this precious natural resource.
Participants discussed water supply in the Sarajevo area, the dangers of drinking water pollution and the need for constitutional protection of water and the right to water.
The president of the Association "Eco Action", Anes Podić, said that problems with the water supply for Sarajevo have existed for a long time.
"We started having problems with the city water supply system about 15 years ago, when water rations were introduced. The water supply system suffered damages during the war, some kind of reconstruction followed, so it was simply neglected. However, in 2010, we had a really scary scene when a sign was placed on our Bosna River Spring that the water was not drinkable. That was the worst possible message to the citizens about what was happening," said Podić.
In the mountains and in water protection zones, we witnessed an insane amount of construction that should not have happened and it is really, as Podić says, only a matter of time when we will have a problem with drinking water supply in the Sarajevo Canton.
"In 2017, we submitted to the SC Assembly a proposal for amendments to the SC Constitution, which would protect the right to drinking water and which would make available a number of mechanisms to protect our water. We did it three times, and the last time it was done was last winter," stated Podić.
Professor Muriz Spahić from the Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics in Sarajevo at UNSA said that Sarajevo is extremely rich in fresh water and that we have numerous springs in the surrounding mountains that need to be treated and protected in an appropriate manner.
(FENA) S. R.
