Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic

Bratislava, 28 May 2021 - The quality of underground drinking water sources is insufficiently controlled. The state authorities under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment, responsible for monitoring the quality of water sources, do not have sufficient and accurate information. The early warning and response system does not work because information on possible sources of pollution is not available or the databases are not linked, so it does not reach those who should have it in real-time. Slovakia lacks a central register of points sources (e.g. factories, wastewater treatment plants) and diffuse sources of pollution (agricultural, large agglomerations), which is a key tool in an effective water protection system.

Based on the audit results, the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic (SAO SR) concludes that the national monitoring system is not managed well to prevent current or future threats of pollution of underground sources of drinking water and eliminate risks related to public health.

"The SAO SR enforces the principle that the health of the population is the most important thing, not the business activities of developers or farmers," illustrates the view of the auditors Karol Mitrík.

 

The full text of the press release about this issue in Slovak language is available here. Use the Google icon in the top bar for automatic translation.