EU funds for the water supply project in Pomurje and the river Dravinja sub-basin
Ljubljana, 23 July 2013 – Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, acting as the Managing Authority for the EU structural funds and the Cohesion Fund, issued a decision awarding EU funds for the water supply project in Pomurje (so-called System C) and the river Dravinja sub-basin in the area of the municipality Makole and Poljčane. Both projects, which are foreseen to be finished by the end of 2015, will be co-financed under the Cohesion Fund in the overall amount of 36 million Euros.
The realisation of the project, worth 49.4 million Euros, called Drinking water supply in Pomurje (System C) will provide a comprehensive supply of drinking water in the area of eight municipalities (Apače, Gornja Radgona, Križevci, Ljutomer, Radenci, Razkrižje, Sv. Jurij ob Ščavnici and Veržej). The project, which will be co-financed by the European Union under the Cohesion Fund in the amount of 32 million Euros, includes the construction and protection of water resources, construction of water supply system with a total length of 172.8 kilometres, the construction of 21.3 kilometres of sewerage networks in the municipalities of Ljutomer and Apače as well as the upgrading of the wastewater treatment plant in Apače from the current 1,800 population units to 3,100 population units.
In the area of Pomurje water supply is insufficient with frequent problems of adequate water supply due to polluted water and, in some areas, the water supply system have not yet even been constructed. The main objective of the overall project Drinking water supply in Pomurje, which is divided into three systems: A, B and C, is to ensure a safe and permanent quality drinking water supply for the inhabitants. The mentioned systems are independent technically and financially concluded units. Co-financing under the EU Cohesion Policy is foreseen for all three projects (Cohesion Fund), the decisions on co-financing have already been issued for two systems. Besides System C, the decision in the amount of 43.5 million Euros was issued for System A while the decision for System B will be issued shortly.
The decision for System A for the co-financing under the Cohesion Fund in the amount of 26.1 million Euros was issued in June 2013, namely for drinking water supply of seven municipalities in Pomurje – Črenšovci, Dobrovnik, Kobilje, Lendaao, Odranci, Turnišče and Velika Polana.
The drinking water supply project in Makole and Poljčane, which is worth a little over 7 million Euros and which represents the 3rd set of the overall project of drinking water supply in the river Dravinja sub-basin, foresees the hydraulic improvement of approximately 14.5 kilometres of the existing water supply system and the construction of approximately 10 kilometres of new pipes. The realisation of the project, which will be co-financed with the EU funds in the amount of over 4 million Euros, will ensure a long-term, safe and reliable drinking water supply as reserve water sources will also be assured.
The project includes the upgrade of the individual segments of the water supply system in the settlements of the municipalities Makole and Poljčane and the connection of both water systems into one water system in the municipality Slovenska Bistrica. The problem of water supply in the area is the health question of drinking water, inadequate pressures and too small dimensions of the pipes, inadequate amounts of drinking water, inadequate capacities of water storages and the fact that the reserve water sources are not provided.
The implementation of the overall project “Drinking water supply in the river Dravinja sub-basin” represents the construction and upgrade of the public infrastructure to provide adequate, quality and safe water supply in the river Dravinja sub-basin.
The municipality of Slovenska Bistrica represents the 1st set while the 2nd set represents the area of Haloze (the municipalities of Majšperk and Videm), the municipalities Makole and Poljčane represent the 3rd set and the municipalities Slovenske Konjice, Zreče, Vitanje and Oplotnica represent the 4th set. With the exception of the latter, the decisions on the co-financing under the EU funds have already been issued for the first three projects.
