Miodrag Maraš from Podgorica refuses to pay the water debt and the costs of reconnection to "Vodovod", questions the recorded consumption and claims that the situation was normalized only after, at his request, a water meter with a so-called "non-return valve" was installed in his house.
The disputed connection is located in a building, in the Stari Aerodrom settlement, in an apartment on the eighth floor.
Maraš told the editorial team that he has been receiving bills for a long time that do not reflect, as he believes, actual consumption, so before he requested a non-return valve to be installed over the summer, his water meter showed that he was consuming around 30 cubic meters (30.000 liters) of water per month.
He claims that he uses the apartment occasionally and that he is the only one in it at that time, that he doesn't even drink tap water, and that everything he uses is mostly for using the toilet. In order to reduce losses and reduce bills to, as he says, actual consumption, he requested the installation of a non-return valve.
"Vodovod" told the editorial staff that the non-return valves are for that purpose - to reduce water consumption. Although Maraš is at least one of the consumers who submitted a request for the installation of this valve, "Vodovod" claims that they have not had any such requests.
Maraš says he asked the water utility company to install a non-return valve, claiming that it would prove that he was not actually using as much as was shown on his bills. The valve was installed, but in September he received a warning before being disconnected.
Previously, in July, he sent a complaint to the Podgorica company about the bill for June:
"We cannot accept this bill of yours for several reasons: you are still processing our previous request for servicing and replacing this water meter and installing a non-return valve, because it shows extremely high water consumption, as can be seen on this bill for the month of June," Maraš states, among other things, in the complaint.
He adds that the consumption shown on that bill refers to the period until June 16, when his water meter was replaced and another one with a non-return valve was installed:
"So now water consumption has normalized, as of today, after more than a month, consumption is less than one cubic meter of water," he said.
As evidence, he submitted a photo of the water meter to "Vodovod" and added that he had not yet received the bill for the second half of June, with the new water meter.
In his complaint, he further stated that this confirmed his claim that water consumption without a non-return valve was "enormous" and that, after installation, it was "reduced to normal."
"Now, in this apartment that only I use for a few hours a day, and water consumption is reduced to one or two flushes in the toilet and washing hands, it is not used for bathing or cooking. For drinking, I use bottled water from the store, so the total water consumption through the water meter does not exceed cubic meters, as recorded by the new water meter with a built-in non-return valve," says Maraš in his complaint, in which he asked "Vodovod" to correct the bills issued to him until then to "normal monthly consumption, which was recorded by the new water meter with a non-return valve."
"Therefore, we demand that, in accordance with the Law, you correct the previous bills, because the old water meter showed enormous consumption," he stated in the complaint dated July 18th.
For the month of June, Maraš received a water bill for just over 30 euros, for 30 cubic meters used.
According to the invoices he submitted to the editorial office for review, he was supposed to pay "Vodovod" 1,4 euros for August.
Jurisdictions
In early October, Maraš also addressed the Podgorica Inspection Directorate, where he repeated these allegations.
"Due to recurring large bills for consumed water, I submitted a request to 'Vodovod' Podgorica to install a non-return valve at the water meter, in order to prevent constant water circulation, due to the large height difference and constant pressure changes between the hydrocell on the ground floor and the water meter on the 8th floor, resulting in multiple passages of the same water through the water meter and incorrectly charging the amount of water consumed. VIK Podgorica accepted the request and replaced the water meter in my apartment and installed a non-return valve on June 16, 2025," he stated.
As he added, the bill for water consumption from June 1 to 15 recorded the consumption of 30 cubic meters of water. "Vijesti" was provided with a copy of that bill, as well as others, to which Maraš indicated that for the following months, from June 16 to the end of September, after the installation of the non-return valve, his consumption was recorded at only one cubic meter.
He also claims that this is "actually the exact amount of water consumed."
In a letter to the inspection, Maraš stated that a non-return valve should be installed next to each water meter:
"In order to prevent water from circulating and returning to the network, which could lead to sanitary and hygienic water defects, the EU requires the installation of a non-return valve next to the water meter. This prevents multiple water circulation and recording on the water meter, so much higher consumption is recorded, and therefore the amount for water."
Maraš adds in his letter to the inspection that he is right, that this was confirmed by "Vodovod" officials by checking the water meter, but that the complaints service interprets it differently:
"Because they suddenly, without notice or a decision, turned off the water in my apartment and now they're asking me to pay for all the illegally billed water consumed and a fee of 56 euros for connection, which is really too much."
The Podgorica inspection told "Vijesti" that they had not received Maraš's request, and that they were not competent, but that relations with consumers were the responsibility of the Secretariat for Communal Affairs.
According to the description on the Capital City website, the job of this Secretariat is to supervise the work of public services in the utility sector.
Maraš, however, says that the Municipal Police of the Capital City directed him to the UIP.
What is a check valve and when is it installed?
"Vodovod" explained that a check valve is "a mechanical device that allows fluid (water) to flow in only one direction. It is installed where there is a need to prevent water from flowing in the opposite direction than intended," they said.
If the non-return valve is installed after the water meter towards the consumer, they explain, this is the responsibility of the consumer - the consumer bears the installation costs and there is no need to submit a request.
If such an intervention requires the temporary dismantling of the water meter, they add, the consumer is obliged to submit a request.
They also claim that they have not had any requests from consumers to install a non-return valve.
When asked what the reason was for installing the non-return valve, they said it was "just to reduce water consumption."
EU praksa
In a letter to the inspection of the Capital City of Podgorica, Maraš stated that in the EU and Croatia, according to regulations, the installation of a non-return valve next to the water meter is mandatory, "in order to prevent the return of measured water back into the network."
"And you can check this in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split and all other cities in Croatia," he stated, attaching the "General Technical Conditions for the Delivery of Water Services for Zagreb and Dubrovnik."
The document for Zagreb, among other things, states that installation is mandatory for new connections, "regardless of the type of consumption."
The obligation to install for existing buildings, as added, is determined by the supplier, in accordance with the risk of pollution of the public water supply network, which is represented by each individual user. For family houses, a separate decision is made.
"Given that Montenegro has committed to respecting all EU laws and other regulations, it is also Montenegro's obligation to comply with and implement all these regulations and ordinances in Montenegro and protect consumers from excessive consumption records and possible pollution of drinking water...", Maraš stated in a letter to the inspection.
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