Freshwater - Outlook 2020 (Montenegro)

Water protection measures include a set of provisions and procedures to maintain and improve water quality to the level prescribed for individual use. Water protection is monitored on the basis of the Water Act (implementing 62 % of the Water Framework Directive).

A regulation on the classification and categorisation of surface and groundwater was passed so as to ensure that ‘the marginal value of quality’ was brought into line with the terms of Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of waters intended for human consumption and Directives 75/440/EEC and 79/86/EEC.

In order to improve the situation in the field of waste water management, two strategic documents have been prepared with the support of the European Agency for Reconstruction: a master plan for  treating and removing waste water from the Montenegrin coast and Cetinje municipality and a strategic master plan for sewerage and waste water in the central and northern region of Montenegro. The master plan sets out a programme for the treatment and removal of waste water over the next 20 years, as well as suggestions for the institutional and legislative framework. The plan also includes recommendations for the improvement  of the existing sewerage network and installation of equipment for waste water treatment.

There are also plans to exploit the potential of water to improve the energy sector, as seen in the preparation of projects for the construction of four major hydropower plants and 11 smaller reservoirs along the Morača River. The construction of these hydropower plants is one of Montenegro’s most strategic projects.

Given the importance attached to tourism in Montenegro, it is vital that there is sufficient water capacity to guarantee a reliable, round-the-clock water supply to the local population and tourists alike. To tackle this problem, in 2006, the Government of Montenegro decided to build a new system for supplying water to the coast to eliminate problems with the drinking water supply. Drinking water will be brought from Skadar Lake through a new pipe network to supply all municipalities. The project is planned to be complete by 2010. One extremely important issue is the discharge and treatment of waste water without polluting  the environment, particularly since polluted rivers and coastal areas are inconsistent with high-quality tourism.