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DE RUEHPS #0542/01 1940930
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130930Z JUL 07
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000542 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE, DRL, SCRS, INL, AND S/WCI, NSC FOR BRAUN, 
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV EAGR EAID PGOV UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: ABNORMALLY WARM AND DRY WINTER EXPOSES 
WEAKNESS IN KOSOVO'S PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM 
 
¶1. (U) Summary. Many regions of Kosovo suffer from water 
scarcity, poor drinking water quality, and absence of waste 
water treatment.  An unusually mild and dry winter has halved 
fresh water inflow into artificial lakes and reservoirs in 
most of Kosovo, and led to widespread water cut-offs. 
Several parts of rural Kosovo, including several Serb 
enclaves, have already run completely out of water. 
Agriculture, which relies on traditional irrigation methods, 
is also at risk in some areas.  In normal years, the weakness 
in Kosovo's water system are masked by abundant water.  End 
Summary. 
 
OVERVIEW 
 
¶2.  (U) Given the dry winter and the visibly low reservoirs, 
there is concern throughout Kosovo about the adequacy of the 
water supply.  Overall, UNMIK judges the current situation to 
be under control, but water supplies vary across the regions 
of Kosovo.  Generally, western and southern Kosovo are better 
off than the east. Gjilan, Ferizaj, Pristina, and Mitrovica 
are all operating under water restrictions, with cut-offs for 
at least 8 hours a day.  Gjakova, Peja, and Decan water 
supplies are currently adequate, although irrigation demands 
will likely significantly strain supplies by the end of the 
summer.  Urban areas are much better off than rural villages 
that rely on wells and springs. 
 
ANTIQUATED INFRASTRUCTURE AND INEFFECTIVE CONSERVATION 
MEASURES 
 
¶3.  (U) Throughout Kosovo, water systems suffer from 
antiquated pipes and equipment, significant losses of water 
due to leakage, and illegal connections.  Investment is 
hampered by lack of revenue, and water conservation is 
virtually nil in the cities, evidenced by the large number of 
operating car washes and businesses still hosing down the 
sidewalk twice a day.  Enforcement mechanisms for the water 
restrictions consist of largely ineffective ticketing systems 
that require court adjudication. 
 
REGIONAL WATER COMPANIES 
 
¶4.  (U) Most of Kosovo is served by seven regional water 
companies created by the Kosovo Trust Agency (KTA), the 
exception being small water companies in the north and small 
rural villages not connected to the water distribution system 
at all.  The Pristina Regional Water Company (PRWC) covers 
seven municipalities and 40 percent of Kosovo's population. 
The two main water sources are Batllava and Badovc 
reservoirs, with secondary sources at Fushe Kosova and 
Lipjan.  These reservoirs are currently well below capacity; 
Batllava has 18 out of 39 million cubic meters available and 
Badovc has 10 out of 26 million cubic meters, an estimated 9 
month supply.  As a result, PRWC has cut off the water in 
Pristina from 23:00 to 5:00 daily. 
 
¶5.  (U) Peja, Istok, Decan, and Klina municipalities rely on 
natural spring sources and have no storage capacity.  Current 
flows from the springs, however, are higher than normal. 
Prizren municipality also relies on water from natural 
springs with no storage capacity.  Current flows are normal, 
with 90 percent of Prizren receiving water 24 hours a day. 
Gjakova municipality depends on the Radoniqi reservoir, which 
is filled by snow melt from the Bistrica river.  Lack of 
snowfall last year has reduced the amount of water, and 
restrictions are likely later in the summer.  Ferizaj 
municipality has no current problems with water supply, but 
has put water restrictions into place from 20:00 to 5:00, 
with additional restrictions planned. 
 
¶6.  (U) Gjilan municipality is facing the most serious water 
shortages.  The Prilepnica reservoir has 19 out of 30 million 
cubic meters available.  With only 40-50 days of water 
remaining, supply has been restricted to twice a week and the 
municipality has completed plans to truck in water. 
 
¶7.  (U) Water restrictions are currently in place in the 
 
PRISTINA 00000542  002 OF 002 
 
 
Mitrovica region (Zvecan, Skenderaj and Vushtrri 
municipalities).  Zvecan reportedly has water in 30 minute 
increments three times a day.  The region gets its water 
supply from the Gazivoda reservoir, one of the largest 
reservoirs in Europe.  The reservoir is full, but treatment 
facilities are inadequate and distribution relies on an 
ineffective gravity-based pumping system.  High demand and 
leakage in the south at the lowest point in the system 
reduces the pressure, leading to insufficient supplies in the 
north.  The location of the sole treatment facility in south 
Mitrovica leaves the unfortunate perception in the sorth that 
the south is responsible for reducing the flow of water. 
There is no cooperation between the Ibar Water Company in the 
north and the southern regional water company.  Customers in 
the north are not billed for water; in the south, only around 
half of the customers pay for water.  To increase north-south 
cooperation over water, the international community, led by 
UNMIK Pillar IV, plans to undertake confidence-building 
measures like installing water meters and forming a technical 
working group with experts from both sides. 
 
RURAL KOSOVO IS HIT THE HARDEST 
 
¶8.  (U) Along with Gjilan, the most severe water shortages 
are occurring in rural Kosovo.  Up to 60 percent of the 
population of Kosovo lives in rural areas, but only 9 percent 
have access to controlled and safe water from public water 
supplies.  The wells and springs the rest of the villages 
depend on are already drying up.  Several Serb enclaves, 
including Badovac/Badovc and Susica/Sushice have been without 
running water for weeks.  The Municipal Community Office in 
Gracanica has implemented water restrictions, cutting off 
water every other day from 8:00 to 16:00 in the villages of 
Laplje Selo/Llapllaselle and Preoce/Preoc. KFOR plans to 
deliver and treat water in the most at-risk villages. 
 
DIM PROSPECTS FOR NEAR-TERM REFORM AND INVESTMENT 
 
¶9. (U) Reforms to the broken water system in Kosovo are 
hampered by financial sustainability questions.  Like other 
utilities in Kosovo, revenue collection is inefficient; total 
debt for the period of 1999 to 2007 in Pristina alone is 26.7 
million euros.  Across Kosovo, only 35 percent of supplied 
water is paid for.  There are two competing views for 
improving the longer-term supply of water in Kosovo.  The 
first, held by the majority of local experts and government 
officials, supports investment in new infrastructure.  The 
alternative strategy, supported by Tim Westermoreland, the 
Kosovo Trust Agency's Head of Water Sector, Publicly Owned 
Enterprise (POE) Division, focuses initially on technical 
assistance to enable the utilities to reduce technical and 
economic losses, estimated at 54 percent.  Following either 
strategy, improvements are unlikely to come in time to affect 
the water situation this summer in Kosovo. 
 
¶10. (U) Comment:  Kosovo's normally abundant rain and snow 
falls usually compensate for its poor infrastructure and 
ineffective regulatory environment.  As with electricity, 
there is no incentive to conserve when there is no means to 
bill for usage.  A return to normal precipitation patterns 
would ease the problem; a durable solution will require the 
commodification of water -- meaning getting people to pay for 
that which they have heretofore received for free.  We will 
continue to work with KTA and the PISG to begin to address 
the structural challenges, and follow KFOR and others' 
efforts to relieve the most affected areas. 
KAIDANOW