Comparative Analysis of Legal and Technical Documentation

 

Regarding the Protection of Drinking Water Sources in Novi Sad, Serbia

Prepared by: Daniela Stojković Jovanović Date: July 21, 2025

1️⃣ Official Resolutions Defining Sanitary Protection Zones (SPZ)

Source	Resolution Issued by	Year	Legal Basis	Zones Defined
Ratno ostrvo	Provincial Secretariat for Health – AP Vojvodina	2013	Water Law (Art. 77), Regional Acts	Zones I, II, III (existing and projected configuration)
Petrovaradinska ada	Provincial Secretariat for Health – AP Vojvodina	2013	Water Law (Art. 77), Regional Acts	Zones I, II, III (existing configuration only)

✅ Both resolutions are legally binding and establish precise geo-coordinates for protected areas around Novi Sad’s key drinking water sources.

2️⃣ Technical Analyses – Institute Jaroslav Černi (2010)

Source	Identified Environmental Risks	Recommended Protective Measures
Petrovaradinska ada	Sewage discharge via Rokov stream, traffic and hazardous transport, illegal settlements (DunaVac)	Construction of wastewater treatment, relocation/sanitation of settlements, runoff control
Ratno ostrvo	Petroleum industry, power plants (TETO), informal housing (Šangaj), waste dumps, canal discharge	Monitoring systems, elimination of contaminant sources, EIA enforcement

✅ Detailed hydrogeological models confirm high groundwater vulnerability and propose actions that have not been implemented.

3️⃣ Response from Novi Sad’s Water Utility Company (JKP „ViK“)

Item	Summary of Reply
Recognition of SPZ zones	Confirms validity and professional foundation of both SPZ resolutions and elaborates
Identification of active risks	Acknowledges sewage issues, informal housing, illegal waste, lack of sanitation
Project responsibility disclaimer	Denies involvement in infrastructure projects, refers responsibility to city authorities
Land ownership and enforcement	States inability to act due to lack of ownership over affected territory

✅ The reply admits major environmental risks but shows institutional deflection of responsibility, raising urgency for multi-level oversight.

4️⃣ Summary of Concerns and Legal Foundations

• The two SPZ-designated water sources supply over half a million people

• Infrastructure projects (bridge military port, wastewater facilities) are being planned within SPZ boundaries

• No publicly accessible Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) exists for these projects

• National agencies have acknowledged threats but failed to take legal action

• The situation violates the principles of the Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC), EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), EU Floods Directive (EFD), and Aarhus Convention

⚠️ Call to ICPDR

I respectfully urge ICPDR to:

• Conduct an official review of the breach of SPZ protocols

• Request accountability and EIA documentation from Serbian authorities

• Facilitate international dialogue on transboundary water safety

• Address the issue in relevant Standing Working Group or Ordinary Meeting agendas

📎 Full legal and technical documents available upon request. I remain available for direct contact or technical briefing.

📊 Prilog: Komparativna analiza dokumentacije o zaštiti izvorišta pijaće vode – Novi Sad

1️⃣ Rešenja o zonama sanitarne zaštite (ZSZ)

Izvorište	Dokument	Nadležni organ	Godina	Zakonski osnov	Definisane zone
Ratno ostrvo	Rešenje ZSZ	Pokrajinski sekretarijat za zdravstvo	2013	Zakon o vodama (čl. 77)	I, II, III za postojeće + projektovano stanje
Petrovaradinska ada	Rešenje ZSZ	Pokrajinski sekretarijat za zdravstvo	2013	Zakon o vodama (čl. 77)	I, II, III za postojeće stanje

✅ Oba dokumenta su pravno obavezujuća i potvrđuju status izvorišta kao zakonom zaštićenih zona.

2️⃣ Elaborati Instituta Jaroslav Černi (2010)

Izvorište	Identifikovani rizici	Preporučene mere zaštite
Petrovaradinska ada	Kanalizacija (Rokov potok), saobraćaj, divlje deponije, naselje DunaVac bez kanalizacije	Izgradnja postrojenja, sanacija naselja, kontrola transporta
Ratno ostrvo	Rafinerija, TETO postrojenje, naselje Šangaj, divlje deponije, ispusti GC-1 i GC-2	Uklanjanje zagađivača, monitoring, zabrana gradnje bez EIA

✅ Stručni dokumenti potvrđuju visok stepen ranjivosti terena i predlažu mere koje nisu primenjene.

3️⃣ Odgovor JKP „Vodovod i kanalizacija”

Element	Sadržaj odgovora
Priznavanje elaborata	Potvrđuju postojanje i validnost elaborata Jaroslav Černi za oba izvorišta
Identifikacija problema	Priznaju divlja naselja, septičke jame, deponije, kanalizaciju
Odgovornost za projekte	Tvrdnja da nisu nadležni za izdavanje projekata → upućuju na gradske i investitorske strukture
Vlasništvo zemljišta	Navode da nisu vlasnici zemljišta i ne mogu preduzimati pravne mere zaštite

✅ Odgovor pokazuje institucionalno prepoznavanje rizika, ali i pasivnost u zaštiti izvorišta.