USAID helps Arilje deal with water shortages

Monday, 15 September 2008 13:00

Due to an extended dry season during August and September, the reservoir levels at the Rzav regional water system that supplies the towns of Arilje, Požega, Lučani, Čačak and Gornji Milanovac declined precipitously, leaving over 250,000 inhabitants in five central Serbian municipalities severely exposed to acute water shortages.  In reaction to the crisis, the Government of Serbia declared a state of natural disaster and the affected municipalities imposed water restrictions for periods of 8 to 12 hours per day.

 USAID’s Response Helps Schools Open On Time

On August 27, the most affected municipality of Arilje approached USAID’s Preparedness and Planning program for assistance to deal with its water shortage. In response to their request, the program delivered five water tanks (three-2,000 liter and two-3,000 liter tanks) on September 5.  The total value of the donation was about $7,000. Two water tanks were delivered to the local kindergarten "Dečji vrtic Arilje" (400 children), one to a primary school "Stevan Čolovic" (1,600 students), one at "Sveti Ahilje" High-school (500 students), and the fifth one was installed at the municipality’s health center "Dom Zdravlja Arilje."

Since the water shortages coincided with the start of the academic school year, the municipality had initially planned to postpone the first day of class due to an inadequate water supply.  “The situation was very serious and not the least bit encouraging before the start of the school year. This is why we decided to react quickly by forming a Crisis Committee and approached USAID for assistance. As a result of USAID’s donation we went ahead and began the school year as planned,” said Mirjana Avakumović, the Mayor of Arilje, at a press conference on September 10.  She added, “This assistance is very valuable since this water supply problem has been a recurring issue in our municipality.  These water tanks will help us in the future to cope with such events until a permanent solution can be found.” Local, regional print and broadcast media as well as a national TV broadcaster (B-92) covered the event and carried news reports on the donation ceremony.   

The program’s donation was complimentary to the Serbian Government’s efforts to alleviate water shortages in central and western Serbia, by providing adequate on-site and mobile storage of water in public places. The Ministry of Defense responded to the region’s request for help by sending 11 mobile water tanks to the affected municipalities. The municipality of Arilje contributed as well by providing an additional 160,000 dinars (about $3,000) from its budget for fuel, per diem for drivers, and other costs related to transporting water from a neighboring municipality to Arilje.

Planning a Long-term Solution

Following the event, the Agriculture Minister Saša Dragin visited the region and told the public that the Ministry will prioritize the start of construction on Lake Svrackovo’s reservoir. This three year project, once completed, will permanently solve the water supply problems for 250,000 people living in the region. Over 280 million dinars (about $5 million) have already been secured through the National Investment Plan (NIP) for this project.  In the meantime, the five municipalities have recognized the need to be better prepared to deal with draught in the future. "We have learned a lot from this year's experience and since this problem will not be solved by next year, we'll know how to organize ourselves better next time such an event occurs," said Vlade Isailovic, Coordinator for the Municipal Council of Safety, a member of the Municipal Council and an expert on water management security. In the future, the water tanks donated by USAID will be used by the municipalities in the event that similar circumstances occur (or to provide on-site storage capacity in the event of other emergencies).