World Water Day 2022

World Water Day is celebrated on March 22 aiming at awareness raising about the importance of water and its conservation.
This year the focus is on the groundwater with the slogan:

"Groundwater: Making Invisible Visible".


In the Sava River Basin two main units are characterized by a certain type of aquifer. The Pannonian Basin is dominated by inter-granular aquifers, while in the Dinarides limestone aquifers predominate. The Sava River Basin countries have identified 60 ground water bodies (24 transboundary) which are of interest for the basin wide management and planning.
The groundwater resources are considered as the vital water supply source for population, industrial activities, and agriculture in the Sava River Basin. Protection and development of this valuable resource is essential for the sustainable development of the whole region, but anthropogenic activities can pose significant pressure on ground water quantity and quality. The main causes of groundwater pollution in the Sava River Basin are intensive agriculture, insufficient wastewater collection and treatment, inappropriate waste disposal sites, urban land use and mining activities. Quantitative pressures originates in a majority from abstraction of ground water resources intended for water supply, industrial and mining activities and for irrigation in agricultural areas.
The countries have agreed on and set the groundwater quality and quantity protection visions in the 1st Sava River Basin Management Plan accepted in 2014 and in the 2nd Sava River Basin Management Plan which is in the process of the public consultation.
The vision for groundwater quality is that emissions of polluting substances do not cause any deterioration of groundwater quality while the vision for groundwater quantity is that water use is appropriately balanced and does not exceed the available groundwater resources.
Measures which are taking place in the Sava River Basin are focused on the achievement of established visions and management objectives, aiming at groundwater preservation not only to ensure good quality of life for our generation but also for our successors.