Leskovac's water supply system "Barje" in operation prior to end of November - investment worth about 80m EUR

- Leskovac's water supply system "Barje", of which construction officially begun in 1984, will be put in operation very soon - said Zoran Stojanović, the Director General of public utility company "Vodovod".

According to the estimates of some experts from "Vodovod", that investment, the largest in the south of Serbia, amounts to 80m EUR. Once its realization is completed, it will be supplying 840 liters of water per second to the citizens of Leskovac and major part of the Jablanica region.

According to the estimate of the Mayor of Leskovac, Slobodan Kocić, water supply system "Barje" is one of the three largest investments in the Leskovac area ever, and it will significantly improve the overall economic picture of this part of Serbia.

- Water factory in Gorina is, practically, in operation, and now only some details need to be technically agreed in order for the Commission for technical reception to officially allow the use of this facility - says Stojanović.

Over the last few years, especially at the time when Leskovac-based textile industry was in operation, the whole settlements were sometimes without water for days. That is why in some city zones, particularly in suburban settlements, the households had to pay ten times higher price for excessive consumption of water.

At the moment, the big problem of "Vodovod", which is the main investor, is collecting of debts. The company is owed over 218m RSD by households and enterprises, but people in "Vodovod" point out that about 75m RSD will not be paid because many companies have been closed in the meantime, while households need to repay 19m RSD worth of debts.