28/11/2022

Reaction of the Working Group for the Protection of Artesian Fountains to the Decision of Ministry of Mining and Energy which Declared Artesian Water as a Technical Water

At the end of October 2022, the city of Zaječar received a decision from the Republic of Serbia on determined and certified classified underground water reserves for 8 artesian fountains where the water is classified as technical water, despite the fact that the Institute of Public Health from Zaječar constantly samples water from artesian fountains in Zaječar and according to their analyzes the water is recommended for drinking.

The resulting decision is practically illegal because the Rulebook on the categorization of underground water does not recognize the category of technical water at all, which practically removes any form of protection over the artesian waters in Zaječar, said the members of the Association “Za Drinking Fountains”, who were the first to react because for five years, together with the City of Zaječar, strive to legitimize and legalize artesian fountains as the greatest natural treasure of this city.

The Working Group for the Protection of Artesian Fountains and Air Quality in Zaječar held a meeting on November 10, 2022. At the meeting, it was concluded that in order to find an adequate response to the situation, the Association “Za Drinking Fountains” will hire a legal team to prepare an analysis based on which the City of Zaječar will take legal action. It was also decided that it is necessary for the Zaječar City Administration to initiate an administrative dispute with a lawsuit to the Administrative Court of Serbia in Belgrade, as well as the process of repeating the decision-making process.

Association “Za Drinking Fountains”

This text was produced within the project “Environmental response to mining expansion in Timočka Krajina” funded by the European Union, and implemented by the Association “Za Drinking Fountains”, the Association of Young Researchers Bor, Civic Library “Europe” Bor and Children’s Center Zaječar. The content of the text is entirely responsibility of these associations and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.