A View on the Past Water Management: Building the Sector in the Light of the Last 100 Years
Restoration of Water
The water management is a sector which ensures for the society inevitable protection of the territory against floods, supply of drinking and industrial water to the population, industry, and agriculture, protection of surface waters and groundwaters against contamination. It manages rivers and objects erected thereon, water mains, sewages, waste water treatment stations, it participates in creation and protection of the natural and living environment.
Laboratory Research
According to Article 4 of the Constitution, the groundwaters and rivers, as well as the natural spa resources and minerals are state property. Most of this wealth is managed and administered by the state water management organisations.
The water management activities have long and rich tradition in Slovakia. Many facilities coming from the 15th to 17th century have been preserved until today, as e.g. the Turcek water main near Kremnica, or the system of artificial lakes in the vicinity of Banska Stiavnica. Later were built the Clausures for floating wood on the rivers Vah and Hron, and other facilities. In the 19th century, water co-operatives were established, which were responsible for protection of the population and property against floods. From this period comes also adjustment of the river Danube to the so-called medium water, which allowed collection of its waters into the channel, and thus created a relatively reliable navigation way. The water mains and then sewage were built in Slovakia in the end of the 19th century, especially in Bratislava and in central Slovakian town.
An important period in development of water management was the mid 60-ties of the 20th century, the time of establishment of regional water management enterprises for river basins, and also water and sewage enterprises. Particularly based on the information from the disastrous flood in the Danube in 1965, the river administration was divided according to hydrologic basins. At approximately the same time, five water and sewage enterprises were established, with competences according to the then applicable administrative regions. This model was evaluated as successful.
Currently, the activities in respect of rivers are performed by an enterprise with national coverage, i.e. the Slovak Water Management Enterprise, Banska Stiavnica – SWME – which was established in 1997. It has territorial departments according to the natural hydrologic basins, namely branch offices for the Danube basin, the Vah basin, the Hron basin, and the Bodrog and Hornad basin.
The SWME is responsible for:
supply of water to the population, industry, and agriculture,
protection of quality of the yields and purity of water resources,
management of protection of water quality,
conditions for flood protection,
coordination of activities during flood,
operation and maintenance of water ways,
international water ways,
digging and aligning works,
fortification works in rivers
vessels, ice breakers, vessels for ship transport,
regulation of water in water management systems,
diving works in revisions, and repair of equipment of water management works.
The supply of drinking and industrial water, discharge and treatment of waste waters, and water and sewage activities were managed by the state water and sewage enterprises (Bratislava, West Slovakian, Central Slovakian, and East Slovakian). In 2002, their transformation was completed, and water management companies were established.
Today, the water management in Slovakia represents an important industrial sector. As of December 31, 2002 the water management companies administered tangible and intangible assets in the amount of SKK 111,525 billion. The annual average number of employees in the state water management enterprises as of December 31, 2002 was 14,167.
The strategic aims of Slovakia in respect of waters, which are in compliance wit the requirements of the European Community in water policy are the following:
sufficient volume and quality of drinking water for the populations and all consumers,
sufficient volume of adequately good industrial water for the industry, agriculture, power industry, and other purposes, as well as services to be provided in the future ahead,
treatment of all used and waste water prior to discharge thereof to the water environment,
achievement of a high level of protection of the natural environment within the lines of the permanently sustainable development,
achievement of an adequate level of protection against floods on territories with human settlements, industry, transport infrastructure, and intensive agricultural production,
achievement of an adequate level of water resources and equipment to avoid any damage caused by dry weather.
In 2002 came into force one of the essential documents for water management in Slovakia – Law No. 184/2002 Coll. on waters and on amendments to certain laws (Water Law) and some supplementary regulations to this law – the Act of the Slovak Ministry of Land Management No. 524/2002 Coll. stipulating details on performance of professional technical/security supervision and on classification of water works into individual categories, and the Act of the Slovak Ministry of Land Management No. 525/2002 Coll. containing the list of rivers important form the aspect of water management and water management rivers. A new version of the Water Law and on amendment to the Law No. 372/1990 Coll. on misdemeanors, as amended (Water Law) is being discussed.
Effective is also the Law No. 442/2002 Coll. on water mains and public sewage and on amendment to the law No. 276/2002 Coll. on regulation in grid industries, which ensures compatibility of the Slovak legislation with the European Community regulations. The Act No. 124/2003 Coll. was also approved, stipulating details on professional capability to operate public mains and public sewage. A key moment in aproximation in the fishing management chapter is the Law No. 139/2002 Coll. on fishing dealing with the issues of protection, farming, and angling fish and other water organisms.
In 2003, the organisation of water management in the Slovak Republic was changed, and the competences in respect of water were transferred from the Slovak Ministry of Land Management to the Slovak Ministry of Environment. Pursuant to the Law No. 139/2003 Coll., the Slovak Ministry of Environment is a central governmental authority responsible for creation and protection of the environment, including water management, protection of quality and volume of fish and rational use thereof, as well as the fishery, except for the fish farming.
Information and Contact:
Association of Employors in Water Management of the SR Nabr. arm. gen. L. Svobodu 5, Bratislava www.vuvh.sk simkova@vuvh.sk Phone: 00421 59343111
