By: Assembly for the Republic
Dear Mr. President,
We have been following your recent address at the United Nations with great interest. You presented the “concept of water diplomacy, which connects various forms of technology, including the triangle of artificial intelligence, advanced satellite, and digital technologies, to monitor and modulate water resources and manage ecosystems with greater accuracy.” Considering your speech, we are interested in your opinion regarding the construction of the C0 canal over one of the larger aquifers in our country.
We are convinced that, like us, you advocate for the preservation of drinking water – a natural resource that we have in Slovenia in sufficient quantities compared to some other countries. As one of the few countries in the world, we can proudly say that we enshrined the right to drinking water in our constitution back in 2016. It is not an obvious commodity but rather a natural wealth, which we are all likely aware of given the climate conditions. According to the constitution, water resources represent a public good managed by the state and are primarily and sustainably intended for supplying the population with drinking water and for household needs; in this respect, they are not a market commodity.
The clean drinking water available to the residents of Ljubljana represents a constitutionally enshrined right, which is endangered by the construction of the C0 sewage canal. We, the undersigned, are outraged by the continuation of the construction of the C0 canal, which is proceeding despite clear warnings from experts. It is unacceptable to locate a sewage system in the area of the Ljubljana aquifer or in a water protection zone. The aquifer falls under critical infrastructure that provides clean drinking water to 400,000 residents of Slovenia. Experts in the fields of construction, environmental protection, and health unanimously agree that the construction and operation of the C0 canal, which runs over the aquifer, poses significant risks to public health. If construction continues to its final goal – namely, operation – it will inevitably lead to disaster and the loss of drinking water for the residents of Ljubljana for generations to come. The undersigned do not oppose the construction of sewage systems; however, it should not be built over the Kleče water protection area. There are alternative solutions for constructing the canal in areas with less strict water protection regimes, thereby ensuring appropriate protection of the water resources of the capital city, Ljubljana.
We believe that the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, and especially you, Dr Golob as its president, are obliged to take immediate action and halt all further work on the sewage pipeline. We understand that this may cause material damage, but the damage that would arise from the destruction of drinking water for Ljubljana would be incomparably greater, with consequences for several generations. We urge you, therefore, to respect the precautionary principle, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations and the European Union, which states that the principle of lower-cost construction should not be applied where there is a risk of irreversible damage.
Therefore, we ask you what you will do, within your authority, to ensure the practical respect for the constitutional right to clean drinking water in Ljubljana today and in the future, for future generations?
Assembly for the Republic (ZzR), President Janez Remškar