Objectives and activities of the EU funded project “Right to safe and affordable drinking water for all” were presented at the roundtable on the topic of water supply and sanitation in rural areas of BiH, on 25 May in Sarajevo. The roundtable was the opportunity to initiate discussion about solutions to the problems of rural water supply management.
40% of the population in Federation of BiH and 52% of the population in Republika Srpska rely on the rural water supply systems which often do not have professional supervision and water quality control. In order to improve this situation, there is the need to precisely define the issues of ownership, operational and financial jurisdictions for rural water systems.
Vladimir Pandurević, officer in charge of this Project at the EU Delegation to BiH, stressed that the EU finances the project with objective to ensure significant increase in the universal and equitable access to safe drinking water for citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Zijad Dedić, Head of the Department for Entrepreneurship, Local Development and Finances in the Municipality of Gračanica, drew attention to the incomplete legal provisions which regulate water supply and the status of local communities. „Even the well-functioning water supply systems in villages do not adhere to the valid laws“, said Mr. Dedić.
Branko Vučijak, PhD, Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Sarajevo, in his presentation particularly stressed the need to harmonize existing practices and legislation in BiH with the EU directives which regulate water management and drinking water standards. He also pointed to the importance of full engagement of local communities and service users in the process of definition of new regulatory, institutional and operational solutions for ensuring sustainable operation of rural water supply systems.
Participants of the roundtable concluded that local self-government units have the jurisdiction for provision of water supply services and they should implement this jurisdiction in urban and rural areas. Higher level authorities should get engaged in solving the problems because valid legal procedure for construction and legalization of rural water systems is complicated and costly. Introduction of new models for management of the rural water systems in the broader territory of BiH would certainly contribute to improvement of the living standard of rural people and full compliance with international conventions which prescribe the right to safe drinking water.
The Project is financially supported by the EU in the amount of 184.212 euro and it is implemented by the Centre for Management, Development and Planning – MDP Initiative (MDPi) from Doboj in partnership with the Association for Water and Environmental protection Sector „Aquasan Network in B&H“ from Bihać.
