Konaković shifts deadlines: Fight with water rationing and ViK leadership

By: Amra Varatanović

There is water, there is no water. That would be the shortest description of the situation with constant water rationing faced by the citizens of Sarajevo. Bottles, canisters and other auxiliary means for performing basic life needs have become a daily occurrence for Sarajevans. From night-time rationing, which has become day-time as well, boilers, washing machines, faucets, pipes are breaking down, not to mention the health of the population.

Ambulances are full of children and adults with stomach problems, but no one wants to publicly comment on it. All you get is a recommendation: Boil the water or buy bottled water if you can afford it.

The unbearable situation with water rationing has been going on for months, although the leaders of Sarajevo Canton have assured us that the situation would improve this year.

KS Prime Minister Elmedin Konaković promised in April 2016 that stabilization was expected in 2017.

Instead, in September 2017, we received a new opinion from Prime Minister Konaković that "citizens of Sarajevo will not have water rationing by the end of next year." Coincidentally, that is also the year of the General Elections. Perfect timing.

Let's stay in the past a little longer. The KS Prime Minister also spoke about an EBRD loan of around 50 million KM, which would be used for the reconstruction of the water supply network. The truth is that for years there has been no serious investment, nor have the problems been solved, and now everything has come due.

KJKP Vodovod i kanalizacija will not receive the EBRD loan until the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina supports the agreement for the "Sarajevo Water Supply" project. Knowing the situation in the Federal Parliament, this will take a long time. In the best-case scenario, even if the Parliament supports the project in the near future, no sane person will undertake the reconstruction of the water supply network in the middle of winter!

At the end of July, Konaković's proposal to dismiss the ViK Assembly was supported by assembly deputies, and a new leadership was elected. The announced dismissal of the VIK management had quieted down because the prime minister was absent. However, as usual, he announced on his Facebook profile that he expects significant changes within ViK, in the organization of the company's work, as early as next week.

- I have probably put my political status at risk due to the decision to bring non-partisan, professional people into ViK. None of that is important to me; what frustrates me is the fact that almost nothing has moved forward, on the contrary, and I see that it can be done - Konaković wrote.

Desperate citizens are increasingly expressing their revolt due to the water rationing, which reminds us all of the days when Sarajevo was under siege by the aggressor, and they are announcing lawsuits against the company and ceasing to pay bills. If this scenario occurs, VIK will need additional millions of marks to pay off the lawsuits.

Non-governmental organizations and citizens' associations have also organized the signing of a protest petition, which will be sent to the KS Assembly to end the authorities' silence and start solving the water supply problem.

Until then, citizens have also proposed a new anthem for KS: Be my water.