After several decades without any major investments in water and wastewater infrastructure, the undertaking of the master plans are a clear signal of the intentions by the IFIs and the Serbian institutions to initiate the necessary investment cycles.
The Regional Office for SEE of EPTISA has recently signed a new contract with the European Commission aimed to assist the Water Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia in the preparation of the Sewerage and Wastewater Strategic Master Plan for the region of the West Morava River Basin, and in the preparation of the Tender Documents for the construction of a ‘model’ wastewater treatment plant with a capacity of 20,000 population equivalent.
For the next 24 months a team of experts from EPTISA will work together with the partner companies SAFEGE, SEURECA and BEOINZENJERING, with the overall objective to strengthening the protection of the water resources, water quality and public health in the West Morava river basin.
The project has a total budget of 2,900,000 Euro and will be financed by the IPA Programme, an instrument from the European Union designed to assist eight countries in Southeast Europe for their eventual accession as EU member states. In fact, this specific intervention will ease the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive as its transposition into the Serbian law is currently under parliamentary evaluation.
Water pollution is a problem faced in several parts of Serbia where, due to the low flow rates of the rivers, the discharged loads have a significant impact on the water quality. This project will facilitate the opening of the investment cycles in the provision of wastewater treatment and sewerage facilities, improving the protection of the public health and the environment and ensuring political stability, continuity of economic transition and growth of national income.
The primary target group of the project is the population that lives within the project area, who should in the future benefit from increased investment in wastewater and sewerage facilities. The downstream population of Serbia and neighbouring countries should likewise benefit.
The secondary target group of the project consists of the officials from the Water Directorate and from the target municipalities and water utilities who will have a strategic plan and a model of tender documents with which to facilitate the investment in wastewater treatment and sewerage infrastructure.
For further information, please contact EPTISA Regional Office for Southeast Europe at eptisasee@eptisa.com