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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]
4 clusters · 16 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated
Categories: HEALTH · POLITICS · INTERNATIONAL
Balkans drought water restrictions
Entities: Slovenian Water Directorate · Debar · Public Water Supply Company Rzav · Dičina River · Mitja Lazar
Overview
The drought that began earlier in the summer continued to tighten water supplies across the Balkans through the end of July. In Slovenia, the Mura and Drava rivers remained near‑record lows, keeping the temporary fishing ban in place and limiting hydro‑electric generation to roughly half of normal output. Croatia’s Osijek gauge stayed at almost –2 m, confirming the severe drop in river levels.
Montenegro’s Orahovac source still exhibited reduced salinity and was deemed unsuitable for drinking, restricting its use to technical purposes while authorities worked on repairing a major pipe rupture. In Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the aging distribution network caused a loss of about 46 % of treated water in 2024, sustaining the emergency “two days on, two days off” water‑reduction regime in the Banja Luka area.
Serbia’s Gornji Milanovac municipality formalised a strict water‑saving order, prohibiting irrigation, pool filling, well use, fire‑hydrant misuse and other non‑essential consumption, with inspections and penalties until rainfall improves conditions.
In North Macedonia, the town of Debar introduced timed supply windows—initially four‑hour, later five‑hour periods—and barred garden watering, pool filling and courtyard washing, citing high summer demand, unpaid bills and illegal connections as drivers of the shortage.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Mura and Drava rivers in Slovenia have reached near‑record low water levels. (article 1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Fishing has been temporarily banned on sections of the Mura and Drava rivers due to low water and algae growth. (article 1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Hydro‑electric production in Slovenia is estimated at about half of normal output for July. (article 1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Water level at the Osijek gauge in Croatia has fallen to nearly minus two metres. (article 1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Water from the Orahovac source in Montenegro has lower salinity but is still unsuitable for drinking. (article 2)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Technical water is the only supply allowed between Tabačina and Risna in Montenegro. (article 2)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] In Republika Srpska, 46.2 % of treated water was lost in 2024 due to aging infrastructure. (article 3)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] An emergency water‑reduction regime of two days on, two days off has been imposed in the Banja Luka area. (article 3)
Timeline
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about 21 hours ago
[HEALTH] 3 sourcesDebar, Macedonia imposes water restrictions amid shortageDebar’s public utility restricts water use to a few hours daily as a drinking‑water shortage hits several neighborhoods, urging residents to limit non‑essential consumption.
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2 days ago
[POLITICS] 3 sourcesSerbia's Gornji Milanovac Enforces Water‑Saving Restrictions Amid DroughtGornji Milanovac municipality in Serbia has banned irrigation, pool filling, well use and other water‑intensive activities due to drought‑related low levels in the Rzav water system, with penalties for violati
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3 days ago
[INTERNATIONAL] 7 sourcesBalkans Face Multiple Water Crises Amid Drought and Infrastructure FailuresDrought lowers Slovenia's Mura and Drava rivers, cutting hydro power; Montenegro's Orahovac water remains non‑drinkable; Bosnia's Republika Srpska loses 46% of treated water, prompting emergency cuts.
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4 days ago
[POLITICS] 3 sourcesSlovenian authorities urge water conservation amid droughtSlovenian water utilities and the national Water Directorate urged residents to curb non‑essential water use amid drought and warned of illegal stream pumping that requires permits, citing fines for violations.
Sources
24ur.com · biznis.kurir.rs · dan.co.me · danas.rs · denesen.mk · dnevno.hr · lider.mk · megafon.si · mozirje.si · novilist.hr · oslobodjenje.ba · siol.net · slobodenpecat.mk · tris.com.hr · ziginfo.rs · zon.si
This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history