Kosovo's Waters at Risk: Urgent Call for Action to Strengthen Critical Infrastructure
Prishtina, January 2025 – The Kosovar Center for Security Studies (KCSS) has published a policy brief highlighting the vulnerabilities in Kosovo’s water infrastructure and the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to safeguard this critical resource.
Key Findings
The report, titled Building Critical Infrastructure Resilience: Why Kosovo Institutions Must Urgently Enhance the Security and Resilience of its Waters, outlines pressing challenges in the water sector:
- Aging Infrastructure: Much of Kosovo's water infrastructure remains outdated, leading to inefficiencies, leaks, and inadequate water supply.
- Legislative Gaps: Current laws, including the Water Law and the Law on Critical Infrastructure, lack alignment with EU standards and fail to ensure effective water management.
- Climate Change and Pollution: Increasingly severe weather events and untreated wastewater discharge into rivers have exacerbated water quality and availability issues.
- Deliberate Threats: Recent incidents, including the attack on the Iber-Lepenc Water Channel, underline the risks posed by politically motivated and potentially state-sponsored actions.
Recommendations
KCSS urges Kosovo’s institutions to implement the following measures:
- Legislative Reforms: Adopt a revised Law on Critical Infrastructure and align water legislation with the EU Water Framework Directive to ensure sustainable management.
- Infrastructure Modernization: Upgrade aging water systems, expand wastewater treatment capacities, and invest in smart technologies to detect and prevent leaks.
- Strengthen Governance: Enhance coordination among institutions and build capacities for effective water management.
- Public-Private Partnerships: Foster collaboration to bring investment, innovation, and expertise to water infrastructure projects.
- Climate Resilience: Develop adaptive measures, including new reservoirs and flood management systems, to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
- International Cooperation: Mobilize support from the EU and other partners for strategic investments, such as the Firaja artificial lake, to ensure a stable water supply in vulnerable regions.
Call to Action
KCSS emphasizes that safeguarding Kosovo's water infrastructure is essential for the country’s socio-economic development, environmental health, and aspirations for EU membership. Coordinated efforts at the national and international levels are imperative to address these challenges and protect this vital resource for future generations.
This policy brief is published in the framework of the SMART Balkans project, implemented jointly by the Center for Civil Society Promotion, the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) and the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM), with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
