23 March 2019 - The Government of Montenegro, together with domestic and international partners, is implementing numerous projects and activities for sustainable water resources management and provision of high-quality water supply, and to respond to the global challenges that are also present in Montenegro, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Milutin Simović said on World Water Day – 22 March.
Opening the Conference on Water Day, DPM Simović said that the concern about water as a resource and the necessary condition of existence is a joint responsibility and obligation. "This is a good opportunity to recall global and local challenges while pointing to everything we do to ensure sufficient water resources and water protection," Simović said.
World Water Day is an annual UN observance day that highlights the importance of freshwater. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Around one billion people still do not have access to safe and adequate drinking water resources, and three billion lack proper sanitary facilities. This year's theme of the World Water Day is "Leaving no one behind."
DPM Simović recalled that Montenegro is rich in water resources and that, concerning its area, it is one of the wealthiest regions in the world. "95% of the river flows in Montenegro are formed on its territory. For the purpose of water supply, the groundwater is used in as much as 90% of the cases. On the other hand, Montenegro belongs to the Dinaric karst terrain, whose basic characteristic is the irregular dispersion of sources and depths to the level of groundwater, and as a result, we have an uneven distribution of water in the territory of Montenegro," Simović said.
He pointed out that groundwater of karst terrains of Montenegro is a particularly vulnerable resource to pollution, and especially to climate change, and therefore great attention is paid to maintaining their natural functions.
The floods that hit Montenegro in 2010, which had great material consequences and the repetition of the floods in 2012, 2014 and 2016, according to Simović, are seen as a consequence of the increasing impact of climate change.
In February 2017, the implementation of a project supported from EU pre-accession funds “Strengthening the Capacities for Implementation of the Water Framework Directive" has begun in Montenegro.
The Deputy Prime Minister reminded that in the past two years, the national budget provided over 2 million EUR for the implementation of over 100 water supply projects in 20 municipalities.
In the field of flood protection, with the support of the GIZ, a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment was prepared, as well as a hydraulic model of the Bojana River, which detected dangerous flood zones. "This data will help us to implement further a new regional project in the Drim River basin, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with UNDP, with the financial support of the Adaptation Fund. We have just received confirmation that it was approved as the first regional project in Eastern Europe," Simović said. He said that the 1.2 million dollars from the project is planned for Montenegro and will be used to prepare the main project for the rehabilitation of embankments on Bojana River and infrastructure works for the construction of embankments on priority sections.
Simović recalled that the Government of Montenegro gave a systematic response in coping with the consequences of several decades of degradation of river flows due to the uncontrolled exploitation of gravel and sand.
"In April 2017, we introduced a moratorium on the exploitation of materials from river flows," DPM Simović stressed.
With the support of the World Bank, the Ministry of Agriculture is implementing 500,000 EUR worth project to regulate rivers Grnčar and Lim. Another significant regional project will be implemented from April this year, in cooperation with UNDP and UNESCO. A project called DIKTAS SAP, worth a total of 5 million EUR, should contribute to greater integration of domestic experts and training of young people, as well as valorisation and better exploitation of the Dinaric karst groundwater.
Deputy Permanent Representative of the UNDP in Montenegro Miodrag Dašić said that today's gathering is an ideal opportunity for dialogue to define solutions to challenges in the area of water protection and use. He emphasised that water management is essential in the regional and cross-border context, and that UNDP and the Ministry of Agriculture are implementing critical regional projects.
A representative of GIZ for Montenegro Nenad Rakočević said that numerous projects aimed at water protection were implemented in the past seven years in Montenegro. He emphasises that GIZ remains a partner to the institutions in Montenegro in the field of water sector improvement, meeting EU requirements and strengthening cross-border cooperation.
