Health protection of the population and huge technical and economic losses are officially the reasons why Montenegro has to follow Europe and replace about 620 kilometers of water pipes, made with a mixture of asbestos fibers and cement.
It is uncertain when the entire work will begin, because 100 million euros are needed, and currently there is not even 750 thousand euros to create the complete main project - the research showed. of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) and the weekly Monitor.
Only residents of Plužine and Petnjica currently have the privilege of not drinking water from asbestos-cement pipes.
Others can only take solace in the fact that there is no reliable evidence of the harmful effects of asbestos fibers entering the body - if they are drunk. If these fibers are inhaled, they are proven to be carcinogenic.
In Montenegro, the ban on the sale and use of asbestos fibers was only introduced by the Law on the Environment from 2016.
Due to its possible carcinogenic effect, this material was banned in the European Union (EU) in 2005.
By that regulation, the use of products containing asbestos fibers, which were installed or in use before 2005, is allowed in the EU until their disposal, that is, the end of their useful life, so many European cities are still dealing with the same problem.
Asbestos was widely used in construction between 1950 and the mid-80s, when pipes made of this material and cement were installed in water supply systems in all countries of the former Yugoslavia.
Inhaling fibers is proven dangerous
Hygiene specialist Dr. Ivana Joksimović from the Institute of Public Health (IJZCG), who controls the hygienic correctness of drinking water, explains to CIN-CG/Monitor that asbestos is a crystalline and fibrous shiny mineral that is composed of silicate, mainly magnesium and iron.
Due to its properties, resistance to temperature, stretching and chemicals, during the last century, it was used for the production of water pipes.
Thus, these pipes are still part of the distribution networks of European and world metropolises.
It is estimated that there are more than 400 kilometers of the Belgrade water supply system, and it is similar in Budapest, Barcelona, Sofia, Vienna, Lisbon, Warsaw, Rotterdam...
Harmful health effects of inhaled asbestos particles, as pointed out by Dr. Joksimović, are the result of a proven carcinogenic effect.
"However, not all details regarding the health effects of asbestos ingestion through drinking water passing through asbestos-cement pipes have been sufficiently clarified. However, it is considered that this type of intake is far less significant from a health point of view than the inhalation of asbestos particles", says Joksimović.
Hydrologist Mihailo Burić told CIN-CG/Monitor that due to erosion or physical damage to the pipes, there is a risk of asbestos fibers being found in the water: "This risk is marked everywhere as health and asbestos pipes are thrown out of the system. Asbestos does not dissolve in water, so there is no danger on that basis".
Burić is not aware that asbestos has been found in our waters.
He also states that water chlorination carries certain health risks, and that modern water purification systems use UV rays and ozonation. These processes, however, are still expensive for our circumstances.
"In terms of primary quality, our waters are at the top of the world, there is only a bacteriological risk," Burić is categorical.
The WHO has no guidelines either
It is precisely this risk that the Agency for Nature and Environmental Protection notes every year in its reports - the biggest sources of pollution of surface and underground water are municipal waste water.
The last published report for 2018 states: "In the continental part, the natural quality of water at almost all groundwater sources has deteriorated mainly due to anthropogenic influences and is the result of inadequate sanitary protection and inadequate sanitation of the catchment area".
Groundwater in Montenegro provides about 92 percent of the total amount of water for the supply of settlements.
Until now, the World Health Organization has not determined the carcinogenicity of asbestos ingested through liquid ingestion, and therefore there are no guidelines on the permitted amount in water. A risk has been recognized for workers working on the removal of asbestos pipes, as they may inhale particles of this material.
"Exposure to asbestos occurs through the inhalation of fibers present in the air and most often in the work environment, near factories where asbestos is used, or in closed spaces containing asbestos materials in poor condition. Long-term exposure can cause lung cancer and other lung diseases," the website of the Croatian Ministry of Health states.
In response to frequent media reports in Serbia that drinking water flowing through asbestos pipes causes cancer, the Batut Public Health Institute in Belgrade explained that - epidemiological studies on experimental animals and the human population have shown that there are harmful effects on health if asbestos is introduced into the body by inhalation, i.e. air, but it is not present if it is ingested with drinking water.
And the director of the Croatian Institute for Toxicology, Dr. Franjo Plavšić, categorically claims that there is no harm to the health of the population, given that asbestos particles do not dissolve in water.
In his author's article, he announced that "asbestos is dangerous only if its fibers are inhaled, and you can swallow those same fibers without fear for your health and lives".
Two thirds of the water is lost
Pipes containing asbestos, on the other hand, showed defects due to the large loss of water flowing through them.
Burić states that the technical and economic reasons for replacing these pipes are significant, as up to two-thirds of the water is lost.
"The question is how realistically the constant losses are presented. Someone shows that 50 percent is lost, someone 70 percent. It is certain that part of the losses are caused by asbestos pipes, because they often burst, unlike the new plastic ones," says Burić.
The Association of Waterworks of Montenegro (UVCG), which brings together all Montenegrin waterworks, in June 2018 began preparing the project "Replacement of asbestos-cement pipes in the waterworks of Montenegro".
Despite the assurance of experts about safety, they also indicated in the goals of the project that it "ensures the health protection of the population", then achieves the reduction of water losses, increases the security of water supply, enormously increases the economy of business and meets the requirements of the EU, which is in accordance with the negotiated Chapter 27 on ecology.
The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism explained to CIN-CG/Monitor that the replacement of these pipes is not one of the criteria for closing Chapter 27, in negotiations with the European Union, but that "our country is moving in the direction of replacing residual asbestos-cement water pipes, primarily for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment".
Coalition 27 warns about waste
"The distribution water network in most cities consists of asbestos-cement pipes. The disposal of construction waste containing asbestos is not adequately regulated", according to the Shadow Report of Coalition 27 (Non-Governmental Organizations dealing with ecology).
They also stated that it is necessary to raise public awareness about the harmfulness of chemicals, the handling of substances containing asbestos fibers and the handling of asbestos waste.
Thanks to the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), during 2019 project tasks were prepared for 21 municipalities, which are necessary for the preparation of the main projects for the reconstruction of asbestos-cement pipes.
Within local self-governments, there are 21 city water supply and sewerage companies with a total of 2.124 employees. Most of them are in Podgorica - over 600.
"Every water supply system in Montenegro has technical and commercial losses. "Technical losses are affected by the age and quality of the installed water supply network, and in developed countries they range from 18 to 22 percent," explains Bojan Lazović, president of the UVCG Assembly.
In addition to the losses recorded by regulated countries, the specificity of Montenegro are the so-called commercial losses, which is a milder description of illegal connections and theft.
"Based on the investigation, we came to the data that water theft accounts for close to 18 percent of total commercial losses, which mostly happens in suburban settlements," explains Filip Makrid, executive director of the Podgorica Waterworks and Sewerage.
As the most common reason for this type of loss, he cites the impossibility of accessing the network, as most of it passes through private properties.
The solution, according to Lazović and Makrid, would be to move the pipeline under the public surface, which is a long-term process that requires a lot of money.
In Herceg Novi, on the way to consumers, close to 60 percent of water is lost in the summer and about 70 percent in the winter months.
Losses are also a consequence of the fact that in Bijelo Polje, for example, the water supply and sewerage network dates back to 1961.
In Nikšić, the average age of pipes is 35 years. Some parts were installed as early as 1931.
According to Makrid, Podgorica has smaller losses compared to other municipalities.
They managed to reduce them from 61,77 percent in 2010 to the current 48-49 percent.
Despite the reduction, in Podgorica alone due to losses in the network, water with a market value of around seven million euros is spilled annually. This calculation was presented at the beginning of the year by Zoran Mikić, member of the URA in the Assembly of the Capital City, pointing out that in the last seven years, more than 40 million euros of water has been spilled.
Makrid announces that in the second half of the year a pilot project will be completed to reduce network losses for the areas of Donja and Gornja Gorica, Donji Kokota, as well as the settlements of Beri, Farmaci, Lekići and Grbavci.
Asbestos-cement pipes were dominant in the capital's water system 15 years ago, Makrid says, but they managed to reduce that percentage from 60 percent to 18 percent.
There are still 136 kilometers of these pipes in Podgorica, and "larger movements are not possible without additional funds, specially provided for this type of work".
"The replacement of worn-out asbestos-cement pipes is conditioned by the size of the pipeline being replaced. Pipelines with a smaller diameter of up to 100 millimeters are generally replaced with polyethylene pipes, and larger diameter pipes with ductile cast iron or steel," Makrid explains.
The estimated average value for the construction of one meter of water pipe, when replacing, is between 80 and 200 euros.
Makrid for Podgorica "according to experience, taking into account the urban conditions where the largest number is located", estimates that it will cost from 120 to 180 euros per meter.
MORTA calculates that 129 euros are necessary for the construction of only the first phase of the main project, which would plan the replacement of pipes in a length of 170 kilometers.
"These funds must be planned within the budget of local self-government units, with the support of the capital budget. The deadline for the development of the main projects for the reconstruction of asbestos-cement pipes will be defined after the provision of financial resources, after which the reconstruction will begin," the ministry said.
With an estimate that 620 euros are needed for the complete main project of replacing around 750.000 kilometers of pipes, Lazović reminds that the waterworks are not a single system like the Electric Power Company of Montenegro, but are the founders and owners of the municipality.
"Therefore, all investments, including the replacement of dilapidated pipelines, depend on the financial situation of the water supply companies," explains Lazović.
Risky in buildings older than 20 years
"How many asbestos-cement pipes are there in Montenegro today, through which water flows," asked DF MP Branko Radulović, then Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulović, at the parliamentary session in October last year.
"Know that there are 3.000 people who have officially contracted cancer. Fifteen hundred are cured, and fifteen hundred die. These are the data of the IJJ," said MP Radulović.
"We are adults, we can tell fairy tales, but asbestos pipes still exist, asbestos roofs exist, asbestos facades still exist in certain parts of Montenegro. Those citizens have been warned. I hope that the state has the strength, that where there is a social program, these things will be regulated, because citizens cannot get out of this story on their own. And it's not just a story about asbestos, you heard that 16 water companies do not measure intake (water intended for human consumption is water that is taken from the source and has the quality prescribed for raw water). So, we don't know what they draw from," former minister Pavle Radulović said at the time.
The Agency for the Protection of Nature and the Environment issued a Manual for handling materials containing asbestos fibers three years ago.
It states that if the building was built before 2000, it can be assumed that asbestos is present in it.
It is also stated where all the asbestos in households is installed: in exterior or partition walls, old salonit panels on roofs, as an insulator in ovens, boilers or boilers for steam heating...
The media in the area are reporting the statements of experts, that in the former SFRY, asbestos was used during the construction of factories, halls, but also entire residential blocks, health and school facilities.
The case of the asbestos settlement of Bela Voda, in Belgrade, is known, where apartment owners protested because of frequent cancer cases. After ten years of protests, the entire settlement was relocated, and the demolition of the old one, which began in 2006, was completed at the end of 2011. Now there are new buildings.
The cause of the most serious diseases
The main diseases caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers are mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer that is always fatal, lung cancer (high mortality), and other lung diseases: asbestosis (does not usually result in death, but is a progressive disease) and diffuse pleural thickening (not fatal). , it is stated on the website of the Croatian Ministry of Health.
It also quotes data from the World Health Organization that 125 million people worldwide are exposed to asbestos at work: "During 2004, asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis due to exposure to asbestos at work caused the death of 107.000 people, and in 1.523.000 exposure resulted in health consequences causing premature death”.
There is no known cure for these, often fatal diseases caused by asbestos, according to the website of the Government of Slovenia: "Asbestos exposure still remains the main problem in removal, demolition and maintenance procedures. Because of the long latency, the disease can appear as long as 20 to 40 years after exposure. As the use of asbestos increased in Europe until the late 1970s, the annual number of malignant diseases would continue to increase even in those countries that first banned its use. In some member states, the annual number of diseases due to exposure to asbestos fibers will only reach its peak around 2030".
A little chlorine, cloudy and sometimes salty
Hygiene specialist Dr. Ivana Joksimović says that based on the results of analyzes from previous years, it can be said that the quality of drinking water in Montenegro is satisfactory, and that efforts should be made to preserve it by protecting the source and improving the supply system.
"If we analyze the results of drinking water tests from the city's water supply system, we can conclude that the cause of malfunctions in most cases was the lack of residual chlorine and increased turbidity (during periods of heavy rainfall). In addition, salinization occurs on certain water mains, especially in the period of low water, on the coast," says Joksimović.
According to the results of microbiological tests of the IJZCG, during 2019, only 2,95 percent of chlorinated water samples did not meet the prescribed health standards, most often due to an increased total number of bacteria and the identification of coliform bacteria.
"A significantly higher percentage of defective samples was registered at measuring points in local, rural water supply systems, which indicates the need for more active monitoring in the coming period," Joksimović points out.
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