KS Assembly Unanimously Adopts Draft Amendments to the Water Law of KS

(Patria) - The Assembly of Sarajevo Canton today unanimously adopted the Draft Law on Amendments to the Water Law of KS, which represents the first amendment to this law since 2010, when it was first enacted.

"During the application of the existing Law in practice, the need for new amendments to the Law arose, which will integrally and more qualitatively improve the area of water management and water resources under the jurisdiction of Sarajevo Canton. Integral management implies the inclusion of all interested entities in the management process, among which municipalities are of great importance, to whom this draft law will transfer part of the authority for issuing water permits, and thus increase the share of responsibility of local self-governments in decision-making through the issuance of water permits," explained the Minister of Economy Adnan Delić.

He added that these amendments will also mean a reduction in bureaucratic procedures, i.e., a simpler process for obtaining water permits necessary for construction permits, for both legal and natural persons.

In addition to the above, the amendments to the Water Law of KS also include the regulation of local water supply systems that have not been under the management system until now, and the mandatory control of the health safety of drinking water by authorized laboratories and institutions, which will certainly affect the quality of water, and thus the quality of health in Sarajevo Canton.

Solutions for the management of reservoirs not primarily intended for water supply have also been proposed. In the absence of drinking water or fire protection, these reservoirs will be used primarily for water supply to the population and fire protection, and only then for other purposes, emphasize the Ministry of Economy.

One of the more important amendments, as pointed out by Minister Delić, is the more equitable distribution of funds collected from the issuance of water permits under the jurisdiction of this line ministry.

"With the previous legal solution, funds collected from the issuance of water permits were divided between the Ministry of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Construction, Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Economy in a ratio of 75 percent to 25 percent, meaning those funds went to KJP 'Vodovod i kanalizacija' d.o.o. Sarajevo, and a smaller part for the regulation of riverbeds. Considering climate change and the consequences caused by heavy rainfall in areas with unregulated riverbeds, these amendments stipulate that the KS Government will distribute the funds and allocate larger amounts for the regulation of riverbeds in order to repair and prevent damage caused by adverse weather conditions," stated Minister Delić.

The enactment of the Law on Amendments to the Water Law of Sarajevo Canton, as well as the previously adopted Law on Forests of KS, is planned in the work programs of the Ministry of Economy, the Government, and the Assembly of KS for 2021, as well as a series of other laws that will soon be on the agendas of the sessions of the executive and legislative authorities of KS.

The public debate on the draft of this law will last for 30 days.