Within its regular activities and for preventive-health reasons, the Institute for Public Health of the Sarajevo Canton is conducting analysis of the quality of water in rivers in the Sarajevo Canton.
“Primary aim is analyzing the quality of water and pollution of water in rivers in the Sarajevo Canton, but also determining the possibilities for using these waters for bathing and recreation of citizens. General fact is that rivers are polluted because not even the very center of the city has entirely arranged discharge of waste waters into the collector. Moreover, another cause of pollution are sanitary waste waters (sewerage), disposal of trash in the vicinity of rivers, and the lack of sewerage network in the country and suburban settlements,“ stated the Institute.
Analysis was conducted in the following rivers:
Miljacka (Bentbaša),
Zujevina (Blažuj),
Bosna (Rimski most),
Željeznica (Ilidža),
Dobrinja (Dobrinja settlement),
Mošćanica (where it flows into the Miljacka River).
“With the analysis of results of microbiological indicators taken from samples of water from rivers in the Sarajevo Canton, we determined a fresh fecal pollution in the analyzed rivers. Mostly found are large numbers of bacteria identified as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus species, which indicate that waters in the rivers do not have the satisfying quality, given the microbiological indicators due to the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. With the analysis of physical-chemical indicators of the taken samples of water from rivers in the Sarajevo Canton, we determined that there is turbidity in the analyzed rivers.
Based on the conducted analysis, we determined that waters in the Sarajevo Canton are polluted and they represent a hygienic-epidemiological threat for the health of citizens,” the Institute stated.
People who bathe in polluted waters or people who use rivers for recreational purposes may become infected with diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms which end up in rivers through waste waters and sewerage. The most frequent causes of diseases are polymorphic bacteria, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, although the cause might also be other pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites.
(Source: radiosarajevo.ba/photo: Sarajevo.co.ba)
