Freshwater - State and impacts (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

As a result of the war (1992-95) the monitoring system for water quality and quantity was put out of action. After 1997, efforts were made by various organisations and users to rebuild the network, however systematic water monitoring was only restored when the public companies for water management (currently the Water Agencies) began to participate, in cooperation with the hydro-meteorological service. As a consequence, there is no data available on water quality and quantity in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 1990s.

CSI 020: Nutrients in freshwater

Based on the average value, the nitrate concentration in the rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not high (period of monitoring 2000-2008). This is mainly due to the slow development of agriculture and industry (see Figure 1). However, some rivers, located in regions where industry is more developed, have reported high concentrations of nitrates. One example is the Spreca river (Sava River District), where in 2008 average nitrate concentration (8 samples during the year) was 5.81 mg NO₃-N / l.

In general, nutrient concentrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s surface waters have been slowly increasing.