2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

SLOVAKIA PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
Slovakia
Water and wastewater management
In 2001, 83.6% of the population was supplied with water from public piping, compared with 75.2% in
1990. Coverage in Bratislava was 94% in 1997. Distribution losses in 1996 were approximately 22%,
one of the better figures from Central and Eastern Europe. 4.75% of drinking water samples failed on
bacterial standards, against 1.32% on chemical criteria.
Connections to sewerage had increased from 37.1% in 1996 to 55.3% by 2002. The Government
seeks to increase sewerage connections to 66% by 2010. Only 635 million m 3 , or about 42% of
wastewater released in 1991 was treated. The table below outlines the development of sewage
treatment since 1990.
Wastewater treatment
(1000m 3 ) 1990 1995 1996 1997 2000
Mechanical (primary) 18,015 48,312 47,847 47,553 53,027
Chemical (secondary) 107 24 801 801 5
Biological (secondary) 6,251 2,110 1,535 1,543 643
Combined (tertiary) 25,238 28,816 37,738 38,721 36,183
Total 49,611 79,262 87,921 88,618 89,858
Water and wastewater plans
In 1995, the Government set a series of mid to long term objectives for bringing water management
into line with EU norms as well as taking sustainability into account when planning. These include: a
50% reduction in the amount of pollutants discharged in effluents via a 60% increase in the volume of
wastewater subjected to treatment, while increasing the proportion of all wastewater subject to
secondary and tertiary treatment by at least 20%; reducing the overabstraction of groundwater
resources by cutting the agricultural use of groundwater to 30% of current levels; encouraging the
recycling of wastewaters so as to bridge the gap between the volume of water extracted and
discharged; using water meters to obtain a 30% decrease in the consumption of drinking water, and
reducing distribution losses in the water distribution system to 10-15% of total volume.
Making water and sewerage pay
Water and sewerage fees and service costs (SKK/m 3 )
Client Service 1996 1997 1998 1999
Household Water 4.71 4.99 5.66 7.26
Sewerage & treatment 2.83 3.14 3.77 3.77
Industry Water 7.09 8.65 9.40 10.44
Sewerage & treatment 6.07 6.85 7.46 7.85
Cost of service Water 7.77 9.76 10.45 10.80
Sewerage & treatment 5.21 5.84 6.44 7.49
Since 1998, average water and sewerage charges have been increased to fully cover the costs of
services provided. This is both to generate funds for bringing the water and sewerage infrastructure in
line with the EU accession process and to use pricing as an economic instrument to discourage
excessive water consumption and the discharge of effluents. The former is illustrated by changes in
abstraction patterns:
Water abstraction, by use
1990 1999
Million m 3 % Million m 3 %
Municipal use 635 30% 455 39%
Agriculture 275 13% 21 2%
Industry 1,206 57% 688 59%
Total 2,116 100% 1,164 100%
178 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006