(Translated from Russian)
Information on the situation in Belarus submitted by the Government of Belarus in
response to the questionnaire prepared by the Independent Expert concerning access
to safe drinking water and sanitation
Act No. 271-3 of the Republic of Belarus of 24 June 1999 on the Supply of Drinking
Water regulates relations in the drinking water supply sector and establishes State
guarantees in respect of the provision of drinking water to consumers.
The Act sets forth the following main principles governing the supply of drinking
water:
• State guarantees for priority provision of drinking water to individuals to meet their
daily living and health requirements
• State supervision and regulation of issues relating to the supply of drinking water
• Accountability of drinking water suppliers to local executive and regulatory
authorities, the housing and utilities sector, State authorities responsible for State
supervision and oversight in the sphere of water use and water resource conservation
and, within its competence, to the State authority responsible for disaster prevention
and management and civil defence
• Safety, reliability and manageability of drinking water supply systems in light of
their technical specificities, and selection of drinking water sources on the basis of
common technical requirements and norms in force throughout Belarusian territory
• Priority use of groundwater
• Metering and application of charges for the supply of water
• State support for the development of drinking water supply systems, the
manufacture and delivery of relevant equipment and materials and chemical
substances for drinking water purification and decontamination
Water supply systems may be owned by the State (national/public utilities) or by
legal entities or individuals.
The ownership of centralized or non-centralized water supply systems may only be
transferred, or the form of ownership changed, if such transfer or change does not
negatively affect their modus operandi.
The centralized water supply system consists of a network of facilities and
canalizations for the provision of drinking water to all households. Non-centralized
drinking water supply systems (open wells, boreholes, water pumps, water-purification
systems, etc.) are made available to consumers where centralized drinking water supply
systems are lacking.
Under the above-mentioned Act, consumers of drinking water have the right:
• To be supplied with drinking water from centralized or non-centralized drinking
water supply systems in accordance with drinking water quality and usage norms
• To demand monitoring of the quality of drinking water obtained from centralized or
non-centralized drinking water supply systems
• To receive, in accordance with legally established procedure, full, reliable and
timely information on drinking water quality and on any likely interruptions in
supply
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• To initiate a public environmental review to be conducted in accordance with
established procedure and to have the results forwarded to the relevant State
authorities
The President’s State water supply and disposal programme, “Clean Water”,
designed to provide the public with quality drinking water and establish safe and favourable
living conditions, sets forth basic projection indicators for the development of the drinking
water supply and disposal system (access to sanitation services).
Replies to questions 1–2
Under national law, centralized (communal, i.e. public) water supply and water
disposal systems are State-owned at the relevant regional or other level. The management
and development of such systems is the responsibility of local executive and regulatory
authorities. Systems development occurs on the basis of relevant mid- and long-term
forward-looking directives, master plans, development schemes, etc.
According to official statistics, 100 per cent of urban communities and 23.2 per cent
of rural communities benefit from centralized water supply systems. In late 2008, outdoor
water pipes in urban communities stretched for a total of 10,100 km, in rural communities
14,100 km.
The State water supply and water disposal programme, “Clean Water”, has
established projection indicators for the development of water supply systems (table 1) and
water disposal systems (table 2):
Table 1
Access to drinking water
Percentage of population with access to higher quality
drinking water (centralized water supply)
2004
2008
2010
Total
79.3
82.0
85.4
Urban population
91.9
94.4
96.9
Rural population
47.2
51.6
56.0
Note:
The Act contains the following definitions:
• Drinking water (water of a suitable quality for drinking): water whose organoleptic properties
and microbiological and chemical composition comply with sanitation norms and rules in
force and are non-hazardous and non-deleterious to health
• Centralized drinking water supply system: a network of facilities and canalizations for the
provision of drinking water to all households
Table 2
Access to improved sanitation (centralized and local sewerage systems), including
small-scale decentralized sewerage systems, septic tanks and safe sewage disposal
2
Percentage of population with access to improved sanitation
2004
2008
2010
Total
61.9
67.5
70.3
Urban population
78.9
85.1
88.2
Rural population
18.9
23.0
25.0
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Centralized water disposal systems exist in 98 per cent of urban communities and
7.4 per cent of rural communities. In late 2008, outdoor sewerage piping in urban
communities stretched for a total of 3,800 km, in rural communities 3,400 km.
Projection indicators are pursued as part of the implementation of the 2005–2010
State water supply and water disposal programme, “Clean Water”, through the development
of centralized water supply systems in both urban and rural communities, and within the
framework of the 2005–2010 State programme for village revival and development; these
efforts will be continued through planned extensions of both programmes for 2011–2015.
Reply to question 3
The public is charged 385.7 Belarusian roubles (US$ 0.13) (per cubic metre) for the
supply of water and 241 Belarusian roubles (US$ 0.08) (per cubic metre) for sewerage.
Replies to questions 4 and 5
Under the national conformity certification system, drinking water delivered through
drinking water supply systems is subject to a mandatory declaration of conformity.
The declaration of conformity made by the declarant must be registered with the
relevant accredited certification authority. Declarations of conformity of drinking water that
is delivered through drinking water supply systems are registered by the Belarusian State
Metrology Institute and 15 regional standardization, metrology and certification centres
reporting to the State Standardization Committee.
The certification of compliance of drinking water with the requirements stipulated in
standards, sanitary norms and rules is based on organoleptic, physical, chemical and
microbiological criteria.
Organizations reporting to the State Standardization Committee supervise the quality
and safety of drinking water on the basis of the following criteria: trace elements, including
toxic substances, radioactive elements of natural origin, i.e. natural radionuclides, and
technogenic radionuclides (caesium-137, strontium-90).
Safety tests on drinking water are conducted using state-of-the-art equipment.
From 2007–2010, the following analyses were carried out: 659 to determine the
gross alpha- and beta-activity of drinking water; 308 to determine the presence of natural
radionuclides; and 137 to determine the presence of trace elements (with screening for 3 to
20 or more trace elements as part of each analysis).
The development (planning, construction and maintenance) of water supply and
disposal systems is based on normative legal and technical regulations in the fields of
architecture, construction, health, the environment, public utilities, etc.
Under the Act on the Protection of Centralized Drinking Water Supply Sources,
sanitary protection zones are being established.
Protection of non-centralized water supply sources (such as open and piped wells) is
governed by sanitary norms.
Requirements governing the quality of water from drinking water supply sources or
delivered by the State to consumers are established and monitored by health agencies.
The quality and conformity with State norms of waste-water treatment is supervised
by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and its regional
mechanisms.
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Reply to question 6
In Belarus, there is no discrimination in access to safe water and sanitation services.
Indeed, access to safe drinking water and sanitation services is provided irrespective of
race, colour, sex, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, ethnicity or citizenship,
physical or mental capacity, health status or any other civil, social, political or other status.
Reply to question 7
The participation of all interested parties in the planning, construction, and
maintenance of sanitation and water supply services is provided for in the Act on the
Supply of Drinking Water and the Act on the Protection of the Environment.
Reply to question 8
State administration of the supply of drinking water is the responsibility of the
Council of Ministers, local councils, executive and regulatory authorities, the national body
for State administration of housing and utilities (Ministry of Housing and Utilities) and its
regional mechanisms, as well as other State mechanisms specially authorized by law.
In accordance with legislation in force, a system has been established to ensure that
the competent authorities providing water supply and sanitation services are answerable to
the Ministry of Housing and Utilities.
The law also establishes the functions, supervisory and otherwise, of State
administrative bodies in the water supply and disposal (sanitation) sector.
State monitoring of the organization of the supply of drinking water and the use
and conservation of drinking water supply sources and systems is carried out by local
councils, executive and regulatory authorities and the national body for State administration
of housing and utilities.
The State administrative bodies for natural resources and environmental protection
monitor compliance with ecological requirements during the location, planning,
construction and exploitation of facilities for the supply of drinking water; they also
monitor the condition, use and conservation of drinking water supply sources and
compliance with established procedures governing economic and other activities in
zones for the sanitary protection of drinking water supply sources and systems.
State sanitary inspection mechanisms monitor compliance of drinking water with
quality norms and ensure observance of established procedures governing economic
and other activities in zones for the sanitary protection of drinking water supply sources
and systems.
The State administrative body for standardization, metrology and certification
monitors compliance with technical regulations governing drinking water
requirements and performs official metrological monitoring in the drinking water
supply sector.
State mechanisms for the supervision of the construction industry monitor the
construction of drinking water supply facilities.
State supervision and monitoring in the drinking water supply sector occurs in
accordance with the procedure established in the Regulation on State Supervision and
Monitoring in the Drinking Water Supply Sector approved by the Council of Ministers of
the Republic of Belarus.
Replies to questions 9–10
See tables 1 and 2.
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