History of the Danilovgrad Water Supply System
The Danilovgrad water supply system, after the Cetinje system, is the oldest water supply system in Montenegro. In order to provide the population of Danilovgrad and the surrounding villages with better living conditions, at the beginning of the last decade of the 19th century, it was decided to bring drinking water from the Slatina springs to the town. Engineer Marko Đukanović was hired to create the water supply project. In 1896, Prince Nikola attended the coronation of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II Romanov in Moscow, where the famous doctor and professor at the Moscow Medical Faculty, Gligorij Antonovič Zaharin, gifted Prince Nikola 45,000 gold rubles for the construction of the water supply system for Cetinje and Danilovgrad. The steel pipes for the water supply were purchased in Austria-Hungary, brought by steamboat to Kotor, and then carried by the locals on their shoulders to Danilovgrad. The digging of the canals for the pipelines, as well as all other construction work, was carried out by the locals through kuluk (mandatory unpaid labor). Thus, the water from the first Danilovgrad fountain began to flow on St. Peter’s Day in 1897, from the Slatina spring “Bistiga”.
Afterward, the expansion of the water supply network continued, and today the residents of Danilovgrad are supplied with drinking water from 7 springs: “Oraška jama,” “Milojević’s spring,” “Viško spring,” “Brajović’s pit,” “Žarić’s pit,” “Slatina springs,” and “Mareza.” The Danilovgrad water supply system is also one of the most complex water supply systems in Montenegro due to the vast territory it serves. The length of the water supply network is about 700 km, covering approximately 85% of the population of the Danilovgrad municipality, while the reservoir capacity is 1,845 m³.
Due to the outdated water supply network, and primarily due to unaccounted consumption, there are significant water losses. As a result, the company works daily to improve the quality of water supply by carrying out numerous pipeline reconstructions, removing old, worn-out pipes, and replacing them with pipes made from modern materials. Through daily interventions to eliminate faults, water losses in the water supply network are reduced. Outdated pumping units are also removed from use. The company is also working on modernizing the water supply system, where we will establish monitoring of consumption and pressure fluctuations in the water supply network through the SCADA system project.
Given that these are significant investments, the company also receives financial support from the Municipality of Danilovgrad, as well as from various relevant ministries. Regarding the removal and treatment of wastewater, at the end of 2018, the company signed two important contracts for the construction of a sewerage network (€2,749,417.28) and the construction of a wastewater treatment plant (€2,390,000.00), which are financed by loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Basic Information
The full name of the company is Limited Liability Company “Water and Sewerage” Danilovgrad. The shortened name of the company is LLC “ViK” Danilovgrad. The Tax Identification Number (TIN) is 02877864. The new company was established on December 27, 2013, by the Decision on Establishment No. 03-031-461/1 (Official Gazette of Montenegro No. 02/14) – municipal regulations. It was formed by transforming the Public Enterprise Water and Sewerage Danilovgrad in accordance with the Decision on Establishment, the Decision on the Appointment of the Board of Directors of the Company No. 03-030-210/1 from October 15, 2014, and the Decision on Approving the Company’s Statute No. 03-030-380/1 from December 27, 2014.
Basic Activities of the Company:
- Public water supply
- Management of wastewater
- Management of stormwater
The activities mentioned above are of public interest.
The company may also perform supplementary activities:
- Construction of water supply and sewerage networks
- Maintenance of water supply and sewerage networks
Sources of financing for public interest services:
- Price of the communal service or communal product
- Local government budget
- Other sources in accordance with the law
Decision-making bodies:
- Board of Directors
- Executive Director
Executive Director
Jelena Radenović