Traditionally, the event is jointly organized by the institutions of the water sector of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this year’s theme is “Water for Peace”.
The central event marking the World Water Day was held on Thursday in Mostar, and it highlighted the need for cross-border cooperation in the management of water resources, as well as the necessity of improving water services in FBiH, emphasizing that twenty-five percent of FBiH residents do not have access to drinking water. Traditionally, the event is jointly organized by the institutions of the water sector of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this year’s theme is “Water for Peace”.
“Today’s activities are intended to once again highlight the need for cross-border cooperation in the management of water resources. Few countries in the world have protocols on joint water management defined by interstate agreements, although over 150 countries in the world are located and share transstate watercourses, so it is necessary to regulate it in some way by some interstate agreements. On the other hand, on internal issues, within countries, it is necessary to ensure good intersectoral cooperation in order to create adequate conditions for the sustainable development of all sectors that are related to water in a certain way, and that is basically the whole of life”, Damir Mrđen assessed. Director of the Agency for the Water Area of the Adriatic Sea, Mostar, which is hosting today’s meeting. Federal Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry Kemal Hrnjić said that water is one of the most important resources that BiH has, stressing that we do not treat this resource very well and that it is necessary to adopt quality legal solutions.
“Yesterday we celebrated the Day of Forests, today we celebrate the Day of Water and these are the most valuable resources that this country has and without these resources, we can safely say, there is no life on planet Earth. The responsibility of water management is not at the highest level, we do not treat these resources very well, therefore it is important to pass quality legal solutions that will regulate this area and that will introduce a little more order when it comes to water protection in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Last year, this Government managed to pass the Water Management Strategy until 2032, and this enables us to implement certain projects from our own resources, but also with international partners,” said Minister Hrnjić. He emphasized that the FBiH “Watsan” project is already being completed, where 19 cities and municipalities participated in projects related to waste water drainage, and that other valuable projects are underway. “These days, in cooperation with the World Bank, we are launching a new project related to the improvement of water services in FBiH. These are multimillion-dollar projects that will be available to municipalities and cities,” said Hrljić and called on all mayors of municipalities and cities to take advantage of this opportunity and improve water services in their local communities. He also referred to inter-entity cooperation and said that entity governments should cooperate a little more in these areas, and he also commented on the large import of water in BiH. “Twenty-five percent of FBiH residents do not have access to drinking water. That’s a very large percentage and it’s a big problem. First of all, we should work to ensure that the population has access to drinking water in every part of this country. When it comes to the import of water in BiH, I believe that it is not only a matter of economic nature, but also a matter of patriotism. So, we know that some parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina do not consider the water we import to be imported, but domestic water, so I think that this is something that should be dealt with at the level of trade and at the level of more of those social relations, and it is less a matter of management. My way of fighting imports is domestic production. Therefore, if we produce and fill our water in BiH with high quality, I believe that our residents will use that water and that is the way we should fight against imports”, Minister Hrnjić said.
The director of the Agency for the Water Area of the Sava River in Sarajevo, Sead Delić, pointed out that there are currently missing funds for the water sector at all levels, from the county to the state, because, as he said, “our water fees are the lowest in Europe.” “Neighboring countries have far greater funds for the water sector than Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in this sense it is necessary to change the Law on Water and make amendments to the Law that will enable the increase of water charges, as well as the inclusion of water charges themselves”, assessed Delić and underlined the importance of regional cooperation, which, he said, is necessary for water protection, flood protection, but also for data exchange and joint action in crisis situations. By the way, UN World Water Day is an annual event celebrated on March 22 to draw attention to the importance of water conservation and promote sustainable water management practices.
Source: blesak.info
