A well in the village of Malá Lehota, Banská Bystrica Region. (source: Ján Krošlák)
Over half a million people in Slovakia still live without access to mains drinking water. Nearly 450 villages are not connected to a public water supply, and their residents rely on water from wells that often doesn't meet the required quality standards, reports Slovak public broadcaster RTVS.
These issues have persisted for decades. In the village of Blatná Polianka, in Sobrance district, Košice Region, 167 residents lack access to drinking water.
"Through cooperation with a company, we transport drinking water to residents using manual and electric pumps. Some fetch water in containers from the city. We live in this century, yet it feels like Africa," said Jozef Komárik, the mayor of Blatná Polianka, speaking to RTVS.
RTVS also interviewed residents of the eastern Slovak village. One said: "We here in the east are cut off from the world. We deal with water by using a 120-year-old stone well. We fetch water from it."
Last year, the Environmental Fund approved 98 out of 308 applications for construction of municipal water supply systems, with the projects valued at nearly €75 million.
"We started last year with the connection of 230 metres [of piping], which helped us to connect to approximately 350 metres in the village, where the processed part is currently awaiting approval. After this approval, 20 families could connect. The next phase is approved for this year, where three more villages could be connected," informed Zdenek Gomboš, the mayor of nearby Porostov.
The Environment Ministry is launching a new call for grants to build public water supply systems for small villages in 2025. Details and grant amounts will be announced by the ministry soon.
