Zagreb Warns Disappearing Of Drinkable Water

The results of the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering research show the all city water wells might be shut down.

Professor Zoran Nakic of the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering carried out a research for the pollution degree of the seven biggest city water wells. The results show that due to fast underground building the water has been polluted with heavy metals and pesticides and soon all the city water plants might be shut down, Jutarnji List wrote. The newspaper also adds that it is not out of question that the water in all the sources of the water wells is poisoned due to a possible manipulation of the data by the State Institute for Public Health.

Doubtful quality of the analysis results 

837 industrial manufacturers and craftsmen, 169 wild landfills and 26 illegal gravel pits are polluting the city water-pipes, Nakic said.

- As a continuous and quality measurement of the quality of water still does not exist, we  legitimately doubt about the quality of the analysis – he highlighted.

Many parameters of the polluted sources were not included in the rule book of water hygiene, and the 2004 analysis results show higher levels of mercury, zinc and cadmium than the maximum  allowed value for drinkable water in some sources. Seven of the biggest water wells might be soon shut down because the pollution is more and more intensive.

Pllution of the water wells

The most polluted of the wells is Petrusevac whose pollution is transmitted to Jakusevac. In the Mala Mlaka water well which also supplies Vrbani III, it was recorded a troublesome level of pollution caused by pesticide and atrazine.

A presence of bacteria and heavy metals above the levels allowed was measured in the water well of Zaprudja, and it was recorded a constant growth of polluting heavy metals and poisons in the Petrusevac i Strmec water wells.

Pollution caused by mercury was recorded In 2001 in the Zitanjak water well.

-The situation is alarming because we could stay without drinkable water sooner than we think – Nakic supposed.

Jutarnji List reported Professor Zoran Nakic’s statement about a possible manipulation of the data given by the Institute for Public Health and Josip Culig, head manager of the Institute for Public Health of Zagreb added: -If there is cadmium in some water well, and the state institute tells us to make tests on the water only concerning bacteria and iron, the results will show that the water is good to drink- Culig said.

Establishing charges against the polluters 

If it were possible to establish charges against the polluters it would be necessary to calculate previously the price of the underground water, which is the project that the Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering is starting. The project of evaluation and security of the underground water in Croatia will probably embody experts from seven faculties.

Nakic explained that the aim is to calculate how big is the cost of the water supply in order to force the producers and polluters to be in charge of the water security themselves.

- If we estimate that the water in the Zagreb area costs 10 billion kunas, it is easy to calculate how much is the damages the polluters have to pay – Nakic explained to Jutarnji List.