“Your pool or garden can cost you very much” — this is how municipalities (samosprávy) comment on the situation, which one after another prohibit using drinking water from public water mains for other purposes. Record heat and prolonged lack of rain have lowered groundwater levels to a critical point, and some village taps have no water at all.
If you live in a private house, rent a place with a plot, or have a garden — this concerns you too. For misuse of drinking water, law № 442/2002 Z. z. “On public water supply and sewerage” provides fines up to 3,319 euros.
What exactly is banned
Bans are introduced by municipalities and water supply companies at the level of individual villages and districts. Usually, the ban covers:
- filling pools;
- watering gardens, orchards, and lawns;
- washing cars;
- construction needs.
Drinking water remains only for drinking, cooking, and hygiene. For watering, municipalities (samosprávy) recommend using rainwater or water from private wells, if available.
Where restrictions are already in place
The worst situation is in the east of the country. Východoslovenská vodárenská spoločnosť (East Slovak Water Supply Company) confirmed a critical state in villages near Košice: in Ďurkov, water had to be completely shut off, and residents are supplied by tankers. Restrictions were also introduced in Kojšov and Prakovce (Gelnica district), Ruskov and Svinica (Košice-okolie district) — reports Startitup.
Problems are not limited to the east:
- local bans are in effect in the Turiec and Kremnica regions;
- in the village of Koplotovce near Hlohovec, water is supplied on a schedule;
- Stredoslovenská vodárenská prevádzková spoločnosť (Central Slovak Water Supply Operating Company) warned about possible restrictions for Žiar nad Hronom and Prievidza districts;
- Západoslovenská vodárenská spoločnosť (West Slovak Water Supply Company) also warns customers about the risk of outages due to drought.
In some villages where the situation is a bit better, water is turned off at night so reservoirs can fill during the day.
Why this happened
The reason is a combination of record temperatures and prolonged lack of rain. In many regions, groundwater levels have critically dropped, and the output of water supply sources has fallen so much that waterworks physically cannot replenish supplies fast enough. Meanwhile, water consumption rises: in heat, people water more, bathe, and fill pools.
The situation in the regions is described by TASR as critical, and water suppliers do not exclude that the list of settlements with restrictions will grow if rains do not continue.
What you should do
If you live in a village or small town with your own plot:
- Check the website or notice board of your obecný úrad (municipal office) — that is where vyhláška (official decree) about bans is published. Fines are imposed for violating these local decisions.
- Do not fill pools or wash cars with a hose while restrictions are in place — even if your village has not announced a ban yet, the water company may introduce it retroactively due to pressure drops.
- Water with rainwater from collectors or your own well — this is legal even during bans.
- If tap water is completely gone, watch for water company announcements about tanker deliveries — delivery schedules are published on municipalities’ (samosprávy) websites.
Residents of apartment buildings in big cities are less threatened by restrictions for now, but water companies urge saving water everywhere: the less drinking water used for technical needs, the lower the risk that restrictions will reach cities too.
