WATER OVER GOLD - PROTECTION OF ŽITNÝ OSTROV

Slovakia has the largest natural groundwater reservoir in Central Europe - Žitný ostrov or 'Rye Island'. Its water originally comes from The Danube river. At current average consumption, it can supply more than 16 million inhabitants, Slovakia itself has 5 million. The current hydrological conditions are strongly influenced by the construction of the Gabčíkovo Water Structure (electricity plant). The land use of the area is devoted mainly to agricultural purposes. Podunajska Lowland area is supposed to suffer from droughts according to long-term predictions. During the summer of 2022, parts of Europe experienced drought conditions exacerbated by heat waves. The quality of underground sources of drinking water is insufficiently controlled. State authorities under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment, responsible for monitoring the quality of water resources, do not have sufficient and accurate information. The early warning system does not work, there is no information about possible sources of pollution, or the databases are not linked, so they do not reach those who are supposed to have them in real time. Slovakia lacks a central register of point and surface sources of groundwater pollution (e.g. factories, wastewater treatment plants, agricultural, large residential agglomerations), which is a key tool in an effective water protection system. Sources of drinking water are threatened by increasing pollution by various substances penetrating into underground reservoirs. Therefore, the question of healthy and sustainable development of society is how to protect this precious and irreplaceable wealth, because we can lose it through our own carelessness.