Reducing Drinking Water Warning, Crisis Even in Pristina

According to competent authorities in Pristina, there is currently decreased water levels in the lakes of Badovci and Batlava, of which drinking water is provided for more than 140 thousand consumers.

Regional water supply “Pristina” is the largest water supply company in the Republic of Kosovo, from which eight Kosovo municipalities, including the capital, Pristina, are supplied with water.

Regional Water Water Chief Executive Chief “Pristina” Ilir Abdullah, in a conversation for Radio Free Europe, said that if the lack of rainfall continues in the coming days, the company will start implementing reduction measures.

If there is no rainfall, there is water reserves for the next six or seven months. We have minus 10 meters of drinking water in both Batlav and Badovc lakes. As the rainfall opportunities are seen this week are not, so we are entering a water crisis in the future”, Abdullah said.

“Even though we have maintained a water supply for 24 hours so far, we are already in the process of starting reductions, where technical opportunities exist, in order to manage water levels that we currently have”, Abdullah said.

Even at the Kosovo Waterwater Association (SHUKOS), they claim that the lack of atmospheric rainfall has affected the reduction of the amount of water at the country level, but the most serious situation, according to the association, appears to be in the Gjilan municipality.

The Gjilan municipality since mid-year is facing a severe shortage of water reserves. The reductions are already being implemented in this municipality.

Muhamed Sullivan, chairman of this association's board, simultaneously chief executive chief in the Regional Waters “Hydromoreva” in Gjilan, in a proposal for Radio Free Europe, said that reductions between 9:00 and 6:00 in the morning are being implemented for some of the citizens.

“is still affecting drought, there is no rising water level. If continued with this state of drought, existing wells” are endangered, Sullivan said.

Perlepnica's feather is the main source of drinking water in Gjilan, where about 60 percent of the citizens of the Gjilan municipality are supplied with drinking water. In addition, there are three smaller sources - Hodge Stone, Banja, and wells in Velesca.

The amount of rainfall in some areas of Kosovo -- namely, in the area of Anamorawa -- (which consists of the municipality of Gjilan, Year and Kamenica) last year has been below the average value of rainfall recorded by Kosovo's Hydromometer Institute, claims leaders of the Institute.

Letafette Latifi, director of the Kosovo Hydrometeorology Institute, tells of Radio Free Europe that in 2014 at the meter station in Perlepnica, the amount of rainfall has been 856 litres per square metre, while last year has been 450 liters per square metre.

Similar situation, according to Latif, has been at the Batlava measuring station.

Unlike the following days, there is no forecast of atmospheric rainfall, Latif said.

This week the weather will be similar, the minimum temperature will be between -1 and -5 degrees Celsius, and the maximum will be between 3 and 7 degrees Celsius. While during this week there is no projected rainfall or snow”, Latifi said.

Currently, Kosovo citizens are supplied by several natural and artificial water resources.

The Lake of Weiman (Gazioda) at Zubin Potok, Batallawa in Podujevo, Badovci in Pristina, Radoniki in Gjakova and Perlepnica in Gjilan, along the Drin White River at the Drin Plains of Dukagjini, Ibrit in Mitrovica, the Morave of Binca in Anamorawa, and Lepenc in the south, are some of the main drinking water sources in Kosovo.