Freshwater - Outlook 2020 (Croatia)

Integrated water management ensures sufficient quantities of drinking water for the population, adequate quantities of water for various business uses, protection of people and material assets from adverse effects of water, and defines the conditions for achieving and preserving the good water condition with the objective of protecting aquatic and water-dependent ecosystems. Principle of sustainable development includes integrated water resources management that ensures balance between usage of resources for improvement in living conditions and stimulation of development and protection of resources and preservation of their ecological functions while respecting international commitments and standards at the boundary and transboundary water courses. Therefore, it is particularly important to focus on own water resources in planning and sustainable use.

 Protection of waters and other activities related to integrated water management in the planned investment cycles (until the year 2038) will be achieved by gradual implementation of a series of activities and measures described in detail in the Strategy [5].

Thus, inter alia, it is planned to increase the connection rate of the population to public water supply systems to 85-90% and reduce unaccounted-for water from the water supply system to 15–20% by 2023.

In order to reduce pollution from sewerage systems (point sources), it is planned to increase the connection rate to public sewerage systems to approx. 70% in agglomerations between 2,000 and 10,000 PE; approx. 77 % in those between 10,000 and 15,000 PE, and approx. 100 % in agglomerations of more than 15,000 PE. This will increase the connection rate to public sewerage systems to approx. 60% of the total population (i.e. 2,660,000 inhabitants). The remaining UWWT Directive requirements will be implemented in the post-2023 investment cycle [5].