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Bratislava Water Supplier Writes Letter to Austian Public About Pipeline
Wednesday 24 February 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, February 24 (TASR) - Managing director of water-supplier Bratislavska Vodarenska Spolocnost (BVS) Daniel Gemeran has told the Austrian public on his company's behalf that the construction of the Bratislava-Schwechat (Austria) oil pipeline is unacceptable for Slovakia because the route would pass directly through BVS's strategic water supplies in the Zitny Ostrov area.
An open letter written by Gemeran was published in Austrian daily Die Presse on Wednesday. "A published letter may not be standard (as a means of communication), but the situation that has forced us into this is non-standard as well. We at BVS can't imagine a situation in which a pipeline would pass through Zitny Ostrov. That would be a potential threat to our drinking-water resources. And this really would be a threat, because, for example, the Rusovce-Ostrovne Lucky water reservoirs (both Bratislava region) are a unique and irreplaceable drinking-water resource for Bratislava," said Gemeran. Plans to construct the pipeline are being prepared by the OMV refinery and oil-pipeline operator Transpetrol with the direct support of the Slovak and Austrian Economy Ministries.
According to BVS, it will be necessary to look for various measures that will ensure that the planned oil pipeline won't pass through Zitny Ostrov. "The fact is that we've heard several times from the Economy Ministry that there are other alternatives for the route of this pipeline, but apart from the one that passes through our water resources, these have never been presented to us or to the public. We assume that it's important for us to know about these alternatives, if there are any, so that we can provide a professional statement on them," added Gemeran.
BVS understands OMV's wish to built a new pipeline that would contribute to a better diversification of Austria's oil supplies, and recognises that this is understandable and logical. At the same time, Slovakia's interest in protecting its own water resources is similarly understandable and logical, added Gemeran.
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