Hidrológiai Közlöny, 2018 (98. évfolyam)
2018 / 4. szám - FÓRUM - Szabó Iván: Integration, a key to sustainable development in water utility services
51 Fórum I)r. Szabó Iván ügyvéd, a Magyar Víziközmű Szövetség (MAVÍZ) Vízipari Tagozat vezetőségének 2013-2016 közötti időszak elnöke, valamint ugyanakkor a MAVÍZ Elnökség tagja, a víziközmű szolgáltatások fenntartható fejlesztése szempontjából kiemelt fontosságú integráció kérdést vizsgálja az alábbi cikkében. A szerző kérésére a cikket angol nyelven közöljük, annak nemzetközi érdeklődést is kiváltható tartalma miatt. Integration, a key to sustainable development in water utility services Iván Szabó attorney ( szabo.ivan@drszaboivan.hu ) INTRODUCTION The concepts of sustainable development and water management have become popular topics in international public discourse1'1. These two concepts have become almost inseparable by today, because these are the ones we mention when we are seeking for answers for the problems of global warming, which has already stated to affect our immediate environment. Sustainable development is a development process (of land, cities, production processes, societies) that “satisfies present needs without impairing the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs as it was defined by the 1987 Brundtland Report of the United Nations121. What establishes the best relationship between water utility services and sustainable development? Well, water utility services are covered by the concept of water protection, and as such, they are part of the broader concept of water management, but it is not entirely covered by it. The operation, and especially the establishment, of public water supply, is, in essence, a form of services provided via pipelines. For the sake of society - for the sake of sustainable development, if you like — public water services intervene and transform nature, and this is the point, namely this intervention into nature, that establishes the relationship between sustainable development and public water services. What kind of water management do the regulations of a given country establish to satisfy the obvious needs of a given historical period, while making such a system capable of serving future generations as well? Moreover, if it intervenes into the environment already at the time of establishing or maintaining it, then how can it do that without causing any permanent and irreversible damage to the environment 131? The connection of the topics of water and sustainable development makes ordinary people typically think of environmental issues: floods, polluted rivers, dried-up lakes, thirsty people, etc. The system control centre of a waterworks or a wastewater treatment facility, a large pipeline, etc. are less commonly imagined by ordinary people. The operation of public water services is, however, one of the most significant elements of the connection between water management and sustainable development. As far as I know, there has not been any permanent and major water shortage in Hungary for years, except for some local technological breakdowns141. By coincidence, there was a breakdown just during the preparation of this paper, elucidating the topic of my paper better than anything: in the beginning of September 2017, the karst water bases of Hámor, operated by the Miskolc Waterworks, became polluted by the extraordinary precipitation; therefore, the supply of drinking water would have to be limited141. The supply of drinking water/sewerage services are however relatively rarely interrupted by similar breakdowns in Hungary. Is it only our proverbial good hydro- logical situation we can thank for this to? The summer of 2017 put many European countries to the test. Naturally, it was the Southern European countries which suffered most from the drought. This summer, Rome did not see any rain for 100 days, and water restrictions had to be applied frequently in the “Capital of the World”151. Some Hungarian tourists might have experienced that. In Portugal, huge forest-fires caused major water shortages. In Spain, continuous water supply has been a challenge to the South for years161. The question gives itself: Is it sure that only the water was “scarce”? According to engineers: no. According to hydraulic engineers, if there had been properly interconnected systems, uninterrupted water supply would have been possible from relatively close water bases with significant capacities. The thing the professionals complained about was that the non-interconnection of systems, the unregulated property and use, the lack of the appropriate permits, or the lack of authorities with competence and jurisdiction and their inability to decide due to the defects of the relevant laws hampered rapid interventions. If somebody checks the websites about scientific research projects now, then one can see that young Italian, Spanish and Portuguese scientists publish articles in which
