The Podgorica company "Vodovod i Kanalizacija" (VIK) also ended last year with enormous water losses, as much as 49 percent, even though in the work plan for 2021 they claimed that the implementation of the project to rehabilitate losses in a certain pilot zone is underway.
According to the annual report for 2021, which will be presented today to the councilors of the Capital City at the Podgorica Assembly session, 19.400.597 cubic meters of water, or 19.400.597.000 liters, were lost.
Last year, 39.483 cubic meters of water passed through the system, and the company stated in its report that these losses were at the planned level of 443 percent, that they implemented numerous activities to reduce them, and, among other things, excluded those who settle bills irregularly or are illegally connected to the water supply network.
In addition, they claim that they measured and read consumption in order to technically reduce water losses, and that, as far as income is concerned, an increase of 8,79 percent was achieved compared to the plan.
They explain this by the increase in income from goods and services and due to increased activities on the reconstruction of the water supply and sewerage network.
However, the company previously stated that for the year 2021, the implementation of the project to rehabilitate losses in a certain pilot zone is underway.
"Taking into account the geographic dispersion of the water supply system in Podgorica, the implementation of the pilot project in the surface-restricted zone has begun. If the pilot project proves to be effective, the experience gained will be applied in the following period to the complete water supply network in the territory of the capital, with the aim of reducing total losses to 40 to 42 percent, which is the long-term goal", were the plans of that company.
However, the reports now do not mention the pilot project, nor its results and conclusions.
That city company last year, as stated, generated an income of 14.532.118 euros, their expenditure was 14.377.973, so they had a profit of 13.594 euros, which, as it says, they will invest in hydrotechnical infrastructure during 2022.
The debt, that is, unpaid claims on December 31 of last year, amounted to 5.059.934 euros, and the largest item in the company's expenses is 6.440.926 for wages, benefits and other personal expenses.
According to the report on December 31 last year, they had 551 permanent employees, 11 permanent employees, three interns and two workers who were hired through the public works project.
For years, VIK Podgorica has been known for its large number of employees and huge losses on the network, and the company does not deny this, so they have repeatedly announced reductions. But, despite the new systematization and Rulebook, nothing is being done in practice on this issue, and the number of permanent employees has increased.
As "Vijesti" wrote in the middle of last year, the surplus of employees is 40, so the number of workers should be reduced from 578 to 538. This was foreseen by systematization, an act that was adopted at the end of 2020.
The Podgorica opposition has been warning for years that the number of employees in that company is too high, and the State Audit Institution has also established this, as can be seen from the VIK documentation.
"Rationalization at all levels will affect the reduction of the number of workers, mainly through the payment of appropriate severance pay to employees who meet one of the conditions for retirement. In 2020, an analysis of the structure of employees was carried out, in order to respond to the remarks and recommendations of the State Audit Institution. According to the systematization adopted at the end of 2020, a reduction in the number of workers is foreseen," says the VIK documentation.
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