Due to drought and an aging system, water levels at the Dolac pumping station are low. Water Utility Director Tomislav Matek reveals the causes of losses as high as 65 percent and what the only lasting solution is.
The prolonged dry spell and increased summer consumption have seriously threatened the water supply in the Zadar area. Some places in the hinterland have already run out of water, and Vodovod Zadar has issued an urgent appeal to citizens to use drinking water rationally in order to avoid restrictions during the peak tourist season.
Tomislav Matek, director of Zadar's water utility, confirmed to Net.hr that conservation measures are already in effect and reassured citizens that restrictions are not currently planned, but everything depends on responsible consumer behavior.
"For now, no. I hope there won't be any. We just warned citizens, given the peak season and increased consumption, to use water rationally in our system. I hope they will listen so there won't be a need for restrictions," Matek told Net.hr.
The water utility specifically appealed for citizens to avoid three key actions that significantly burden the system. Citizens are urged to stop washing vehicles and boats, filling swimming pools, and frequent showering on beaches. Additionally, all users, including businesses, are asked to reduce watering of green areas and unnecessary water use in public places.
Although maintaining green areas is important for environmental quality and the tourist offer, in the current circumstances, the priority is preserving the stability of the water supply system and ensuring sufficient quantities of drinking water for households and healthcare facilities. Conservation measures remain in effect until further notice.
The most critical situation is in the Zadar surroundings. The settlements of Zemunik and Škabrnja have been without water for days, and the supply to Ugljan Island has been reduced. Matek explains that this is a consequence of maintaining the stability of the entire system that extends from the Zrmanja River.
"For Ugljan Island, the supply has been reduced precisely because the entire system from Zrmanja, through Zadar, and to the island is interconnected. We simply keep it stable so that larger parts of the city and county don't run out of water. We have activated another pumping station. I expect that during the night these settlements should stabilize. Gornji Zemunik, Podgradina, Jovići, Vrsi-there should certainly be improvements," the director stated.
In addition to the drought, enormous water losses in the system are a major problem. Matek reveals that as much as 65 percent of extracted water is not billed. The main reason is old pipelines, but the fact that about 50 percent of these losses are due to water theft is concerning.
Although the water utility has cooperated with the police and initiated proceedings, results have been poor. "The police even conducted operations with us in some settlements. We went to the State Attorney's Office and to court. Two or three people were lightly sentenced. Our problem is that when we get to the State Attorney's Office or court, they ask how much water was stolen. We can't know how much was stolen, and so it falls through. Until the law changes to make water theft a criminal offense, there will be no results," Matek lamented.
The existing pipeline was built in 1982, and the Dolac pumping station is over forty years old and cannot meet today's needs. Matek points out that even then, the projection was to build another transport pipeline within twenty years.
"We have a pipeline built in 1982, and even then, when it was constructed, the projection was that within the next twenty years another such pipeline should be built to Zadar. Even on the balance sheet of our Dolac pumping station, there is a plot for another reservoir, and the route for that pipe was purchased at that time. However, houses have now been built in Posedarje and Murvica, so the route will need to be changed, but certainly the only real solution is to build another transport pipeline from Zrmanja to Zadar," Matek concluded.
