Šibenik has become a place where many questions about drinking water have been pouring in lately. One of the reasons is certainly the Water of the Little Giants Initiative, which has been working intensively for the past year on the availability, protection and promotion of drinking water in the Šibenik-Knin County.
On the occasion of the initiative's first birthday and World Water Day, an expert conference called "We are big on water" was organized on March 24th in Šibenik.
The leader of the organization and the initiative itself is Tourist Board of Šibenik-Knin County, with this year's partners Krka National Park and Šibenik Water Supply and Drainage. This is the first time that the initiative has been supported by these two strong entities in water and nature management in the County, which is an extremely important message about joint efforts to protect drinking water.
Bringing the profession closer to the local community and giving importance to the Little Giants Guide
Gathered experts from various fields dealing with water, water management and systems, water quality, and its protection answered some general, but also some of the most practical questions about water.
Experts supported the established opinions about the quality of tap water, the amount of scale, and the cleanliness of the karst area of Šibenik-Knin County through a panel discussion and interaction with the audience.
Main messages of the meeting
Some of the topics touched upon by those gathered begin with the fact of the water resources of Croatia, and especially the Šibenik-Knin County.
Asst. Ph.D. Danko Biondic, Head of the Development and Water Management Planning Sector at Croatian Waters, pointed out that there is no general concern for our water quantities, but this does not diminish the need to conserve water and raise awareness of the importance of its management.
B.Eng. Lidija Bujas from the County Public Health Institute repeatedly emphasized that drinking water control is regular and transparent. What needs to be focused on, according to her, are the many unprotected drinking water sources in the County.
B.Eng. Djordja Medic, a chemical research analyst at Croatian Waters, emphasized that we can have full confidence in the quality of water in the Šibenik-Knin County, which is subject to strict controls.
We often behave irresponsibly towards water. Dr. sc. Neven Cukrov warned that our pits are not holes in the ground, they are the way through which our waste directly reaches our groundwater, quickly and without filtration due to the karst relief phenomenon.
Asst. Ph.D. Biondić sent a message to young people: "Think about your future orientation and enroll in a college that will allow you to work in water in the future. We lack engineers and employees at all levels so that we can successfully manage our resource, which has placed us at the very top of Europe in terms of wealth.""
Swimming pools in tourism, limescale in water – frequently asked questions
Before the event, the initiators collected questions from the field for which they sought answers from professionals.
How to reconcile the growing number of swimming pools in tourism and water protection?
To the first question, Bujas answered that the threat is not so much the filling of the pool as discharge of treated pool water.
Namely, many citizens are unaware that such water should not end up in the environment, but in the drainage or in a septic tank. Discharged swimming pool water recently caused the disappearance of the frog population in the ponds in the hinterland of Šibenik where the chlorinated swimming pool water ended up. "Would you drink water from a bathtub you've previously bathed in (with added chlorine)?", Sugar adds.
Is Šibenik's water really full of limescale? What does it mean for our health?
When asked the most common question about scale, Biondić and Bujas explain that scale is not dangerous to health, in fact it is what gives water its delicate taste. Scale is the result of the presence of dissolved minerals in water, mainly calcium and magnesium. Demineralized water would be completely tasteless.
Šibenik water is moderately hard and does not contain more limescale than in other parts of Croatia. If the water is excessively mineralized, as is the case with mineral waters, they should be consumed in moderation.
Limescale in water is more damaging to appliances, especially those that heat, such as water heaters, irons, kettles, dishwashers, coffee makers, etc.
Why are we big on water?
This catchy phrase, although in English, hides several different answers in just a few words. big out of the water.
There is plenty of water, we are rich in water, and most importantly, we are becoming increasingly aware of its importance, and we are proud of it. The English phrase We are big on water, literally translated – "We are thrilled with the water!"
Engaged youth – Šibenik high school students
The gathering was also attended by high school students from Šibenik schools, the Tourism and Hospitality School and the Antun Vrančić Gymnasium. Two groups of students, after training in their schools organized by the initiative, came equipped with knowledge, and delighted the panelists and participants with their engagement and interesting questions.
Some of these included questions about what they, as a young generation, can do to conserve water for the future, how to address water supply in hard-to-reach places in the county, and questions about microplastics.
One of the overarching messages of the gathering is that we must leave drinking water to the younger generations, and that this event is one of the ways we direct our attention to this very obligation!
With this gathering, the Waters of the Little Giants initiative showed a step into a series of interesting topics that touch our life-important resource in this area, which was lucky enough to develop into a region where life flourishes.
