While guests describe 'shame and disaster,' Brijuni National Park claims it received no notice of the interruption, but reports have emerged that a notice about the shortage was posted and then removed.
Guests on the Brijuni Islands faced an unpleasant surprise on Thursday, August 7, 2026, in the midst of the peak tourist season, a complete interruption of the water supply. The hotels were full, and no one had warned visitors in advance about the impending problems, sparking a wave of discontent.
"Brijuni, a situation in the heart of the season. The hotels are full of guests, and there is currently no water anywhere in the hotels. No one informed the guests a day earlier that there would be no water so we could prepare for the morning. The entire island is dug up, with work underway to replace pipes, and excavators and machinery are working at full capacity. A major shame and disaster. In short, there is chaos at the reception, and the guests are furious," described a reader for Index.hr.
Brijuni National Park quickly responded, emphasizing that they are not responsible for carrying out the works or managing the water supply network. "Brijuni National Park is neither the investor nor the contractor of the works in question, nor the manager of the water supply network on which the works are being carried out, and therefore could not influence the pace of their execution," they stated.
The key part of their defense lies in the claim that they were not informed about the interruption itself. "We did not receive notice of the interruption either," they emphasized. They also detailed what would have happened if the information had arrived on time: "Had we received such information in advance, as in previous cases, we would have promptly activated the pre-prepared protocol for notifying guests via the official website, notices in accommodation facilities, at the reception, and other locations, and taken additional organizational measures to minimize any potential inconvenience."
While the National Park insists it did not know about the interruption, the portal Morski presents a different story. According to their information, the water utility company Vodovod Pula, Labin had previously notified consumers about works on the water supply network in the Brijuni National Park area, scheduled for August 6 and 7, with a warning about possible temporary interruptions in the water supply.
Morski further claims that Brijuni National Park was aware of the problem and had even published information about the water shortage, but that this post was subsequently removed from the internet. "It is unclear why they released such information to the public, because NP Brijuni indeed knew about the shortage and informed the public about it, which is visible in public searches of posts from this National Park."
Brijuni National Park also revealed that the acting director, Mladen Ćoza, had tried to prevent this scenario. Upon taking office, he requested that the works be postponed until the end of the tourist season, i.e., until November, "to avoid disruptions during the period of the highest number of visitors." That proposal was not accepted because the works were already contracted and in the implementation phase at that time.
After several hours of chaos, the water supply was restored. "As soon as it was determined that there was an interruption in the water supply, our services immediately reacted, informed the guests, and were available to provide all necessary information and assistance," the Park stated, adding that they believe the competent services will fully stabilize the system as soon as possible. Morski, on the other hand, announced that it will ask Brijuni National Park to answer why they told the public one thing while something else was happening in reality.
