The source of the Bosna River near Sarajevo is a popular excursion destination with 150 visitors a year. Here, at the foot of Mount Igman, springs the seemingly clear water of the Bosna River.
A group of tourists takes a photo on the bridge while the swans behind them carelessly swim in the cold water, expecting a bite from the tourists.
A tourist from Omno enjoys nature with a group of friends. He refreshes himself and drinks water from the spring, unaware of the risk.
Namely, until recently there were signs posted here stating that the water is not suitable for drinking because it was found in numerous analyzes that it is polluted and contains pathogenic bacteria. The plaque is gone, but the bacteria are still there.
No one knows who removed the signs and for what reason, but it can be assumed that this was done in order not to scare visitors, to damage the popularity of the picnic area, and to give the impression that everything is fine, which it is not.
Part of the water from this source is used to supply the city of Sarajevo with drinking water and must be disinfected with chlorine before being released into the water supply system.
Citizens buy bottled water
Lejla from Sarajevo decided not to drink such water from the tap anymore. After learning that some springs are polluted, she decided to buy bottled water in stores.
"I haven't been drinking water for a long time, especially since I followed what environmental organizations published in the context of the pollution of our drinking water in Sarajevo, and I was previously involved in actions when there were water reductions in Sarajevo. And especially after the recently published research stating that our water is full of feces. I think it's a serious problem," says Lejla.
Regular analysis of the water at the Bosna River's source is carried out by experts at the Institute of Public Health of the Sarajevo Canton, who in their latest, as in numerous previous tests, confirmed the presence of Escherichia coli bacteria, other bacteria and germs.
"We very often find that the water is unhealthy, because it contains an increased number of pathogenic microorganisms," Sanela Salihagić from the Institute of Public Health confirms for DW.
Considering the results of the previous analyses, the Institute recommends that a permanent sign with the inscription "the water is not for drinking" be placed at the picnic area.
Merima Pinjo, head of the drinking water quality control laboratory at the public company Vodovod i Kanalizaje, claims that the water is disinfected with chlorine before being released into the system, and that citizens have no reason to worry. She also notes that urgent protection is necessary because illegal construction has taken off in the water protection zone, and other springs and underground reservoirs with drinking water are also threatened. "We have a decision on the protection of springs from the XNUMXs, and no decision has been made in recent times that will clearly and precisely define what is allowed and what is not allowed in the protected zone," says Pinjo. He adds that all residential buildings in Alleja, a popular promenade from Vrela Bosna to Ilidža, which is located in the water protection zone, were built illegally.
"After the war, people got construction and urban planning permits, and I don't know how. They also have sewerage, and no one knows where that sewage goes, because we don't have sewerage that we manage down there. And that is the first water protection zone," says Pinjo.
Uncontrolled and illegal construction endangers drinking water
Environmentalists see the main causes of pollution in the massive construction of residential and apartment buildings, especially on the mountain Bjelašnica and Igman, which are located above Vrela Bosna and Sarajevsko polje. Large expanses of forest are being replaced by concrete and asphalt.
At the foot of those mountains are the waters of Vrela Bosna and Sarajevsko polje, where 80 percent of the water that Sarajevans drink comes from, says Anel Podić from the non-governmental organization Ecoakcija.
"Sarajevo is in danger of running out of drinking water. It would be tragic if Sarajevo, which practically lies on the water, in a country that ranks fifth in Europe in the amount of drinking water, is left without drinking water," he says.
"The reason is human greed. Entire settlements of apartments on ski resorts were built without an environmental permit, and they have no perspective due to climate change. However, the construction lobby's earnings were more important. The sewerage of those settlements ends up in the waters of Vrela Bosna, and it is a matter of days when such water will be unusable," warns Podić.
Is Sarajevo running out of drinking water?
The construction of sports, residential and tourist facilities on the mountains around Sarajevo was started before the 1984 Winter Olympics. In the meantime, due to lack of maintenance, sewage pipes began to burst, and waste and sewage water ended up in underground and spring waters.
"If the same pace continues, Sarajevo may run out of drinking water, which is already damaged, if additional revitalization of the sewage and other drainage channels used in Igman and Bjelašnica is not carried out," says academician Muriz Spahić from the Faculty of Science.
He adds that all road routes leading to Igman and Bjelašnica are not adequately protected because rainwater flows from road communication and goes into the karst underground and comes out as polluted at the source of the Bosna River.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the richest European countries in terms of the amount of clean water per capita. Many springs, streams and rivers with clear and clean water are still found in almost every part of the country. Water can generally be drunk from the tap, but the question is until when.
Environmentalists see an additional danger in the intentions of the cantonal government to change the Law on Water.
"There is also an attempt to reduce the water protection zone and open the door for builders to make good money from construction, in a city where a fifth of the housing space according to the 2013 census was empty. People are leaving the country more and more, and those apartments are bought mostly by people who have savings," says Podić.
BiH is at the bottom of Europe in terms of the share of protected territory. Only about three percent of the territory is a protected area, although the Spatial Plan from 1981 foresees much more. While the authorities are late or unwilling to protect certain areas, they slowly disappear, along with valuable resources such as drinking water.
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