Substandard water supply, wastewater collection and treatment infrastructures pose serious threats to public health and the environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), including Republika Srpska (RS). The water supply systems in all municipalities in RS have functional problems, which have been reflected in: (i) insufficient capacity of service reservoirs; (ii) extremely high non-revenue water; (iii) insufficient capacity of main pipelines in distribution networks; (iv) insufficient pressure in distribution networks in high-altitude zones, which leads to complete disuse of the public water supply service by consumers; (v) unsatisfactory metering, both in terms of production (distribution) and consumption; (vi) lack of financial means for maintenance and replacement of dilapidated distribution pipelines due to a heavily subsidised water tariff.
To improve the situation in the water and wastewater sector, BiH has started a comprehensive programme “Water Supply and Sewerage Infrastructure in Republika Srpska” (WATSAN RS) covering 32 municipalities with an aim to provide sustainable water and sanitation services through the construction of necessary facilities, development of adequate infrastructure and strengthening of the municipal operators - public utility companies (PUCs).
This technical assistance grant is a direct continuation of WBIF's support provided to the Programme through the previous three TA grants. As such, its purpose is to:
