Water indicators
Data collection, analysis, reporting
- Serbian Experience
Milijana Ćeranić - Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia
Dejan Lekić - Serbian Environmental Protection Agency
UNECE, Geneva 13 May 2014
Water supply / sanitation
indicators
Bylaw on the National list of environmental
indicators adopted in 2011
 81 indicators in total / 11 water related
indicators
 5 indicators directly related to the water
supply and waste water
 3 additional indicators within sustainable
use of natural resources

Indicators

Water indicators:
 Drinking water quality
 Population connected
to public water supply
 Population connected to public sanitation
 Urban waste water treatment
 Polluted (non-treated) wastewaters

Sustainable use indicators
 Household water use per capita
 Water losses
 Renewable freshwater resources
Data Collection
Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia
 Public Health Institutes
 Water Directorate
 Local water supply and sewage public
companies

Environmental Information System
– Eionet Serbia
Environmental Information System
– Future
Populatin connected to water supply
Populatin connected to wastewater
treatment
Survey
on Public water supply and Survey on urban wastewater as part of Water
statistics - Environmental statistics.
in line with Law on Official Statistics (“Official Gazette of RS”, No
104/2009), Official Statistics Strategy (establish for 5 year) and Annual Statistical
Programme.
Conducted
Obligation to provide data
 The obligation to provide data is laid down in Article 26 and the penalty provisions relative to
the refusal of providing data or providing incomplete and false data in Article 52 of the Law
on Official Statistics (“Official Gazette of RS”, No 104/2009).
Obligation to protect individual data
 Results of the survey are published as aggregates, taking into account the obligation to
protect individual data according to the Law on Official Statistics.
7
Water statistics
-abstracted
-using
-treated
-wastewater
Drinking water
-housholds
-industry
-institutions
Waste water
treated
8
Water use
in
INDUSTRY
Industrial
processis
Cooling water
Water use
in
Agriculture
IRIGATION
-LIVESTOCK’s USE
8
SURVEY ON DRINKING WATER SUPPLY
Survey
on drinking water supply provides data which
are classified into three topics:
Water abstraction (from rivers and underground water) included
overtaken water from other networks and water provided to other
systems;
 Water distributed to users: households, business entities dealing
with the sections of Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Mining and
quarrying, Manufacturing and Electricity, gas, steam and air
conditioning supply, Water supply; sewerage, waste management
and remediation activities, as well as to other consumers, water
used for own consumption, and total water loss;
 Data on water treatment, water supply network and costs of
drinking water production.

9
SURVEY ON URBAN WASTEWATER
Objective of conducting the survey on urban wastewater is
to provide the data on:
 Quantities of wastewater discharged in the recipient
 Quantities of discharged treated and untreated
wastewater
 Devices for wastewater treatment
 Biological and chemical oxygen demand and quantity of
heavy metals in wastewater
 Sewerage system/ network.
 www.stat.gov.rs
10
List and definitions of main
items – indicators
 Public
water supply is a system for drinking water supply, having arranged and
protected source, abstraction, reservoir and water network and presents a set of
connected hydro-technical components under singular management and control, used
for water abstraction, collection, treatment and distribution to consumers.
 Water abstraction (sources) refers to all the places of public underground or surface
waters from which water supply systems are supplied (underground, surface waters,
spring waters, watercourses, accumulations and lakes).
 Distributed
water relates to all directly abstracted and supplied water distributed by the
water supply system during the reference year to its consumers. The quantities of
distributed water are measured by water gauge or, where they are not available,
quantities are calculated according to norms relative to a selected activity group.
 Drinking
water is water used for drinking, processing and production of food and
general use items, as well as for other people’s needs. Water used or intended for
drinking must not contain elements harmful for human’s health above the determined
limits and regarding physical, chemical, biological, bacteriological, virological and
radiological features, it has to satisfy the established conditions.
11
DEFINITIONS– UNSD/UNEP QUESTIONNAIRE
2013 ON ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS
Total population supplied by water supply industry
(ISIC 36)- Percentage of the total resident
population using water supplied by the water supply
industry (ISIC 36).
Urban population supplied by water supply industry
(ISIC 36) - Percentage of the urban resident
population using water supplied by the water supply
industry (ISIC 36).
Rural population supplied by water supply industry
(ISIC 36) - Percentage of the rural resident
population using water supplied by the water supply
industry (ISIC 36).
12
DEFINITIONS– UNSD/UNEP QUESTIONNAIRE
2013 ON ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS
Population
connected to wastewater collecting system Percentage of the resident population connected to the
wastewater collecting systems (sewerage). Wastewater
collecting systems may deliver wastewater to treatment plants
or may discharge it without treatment to the environment.
Population connected to wastewater treatment Percentage of the resident population whose wastewater is
treated at wastewater treatment plants.
Population with independent wastewater treatment (e.g.,
septic tanks) - Percentage of the resident population whose
wastewater is treated in individual, often private facilities such
as septic tanks.
Population not connected to wastewater treatment Percentage of the resident population whose wastewater is
neither treated in treatment plants nor in independent
treatment facilities.
13
Reporting units, statistical units
Data on water use in settlements are collected from all business entities
that collect, distribute water and/or manage the systems for water use and
data on wastewater and treated water are collected from the reporting units
managing the sewerage systems.
 Activity of these reporting units is, according to the Classification of
Activities, defined in the division 36 – Water collection, treatment and
supply and division 84 – Public administration and defense, compulsory
social security (local communities’ authorities managing water supply
systems). (ISIC and NACE Rev.2)
Survey coverage
 The survey covers all business entities that perform their activity on the
entire territory of the Republic of Serbia.

14
Method, time and sources for
data collection
 Data
collection is done by the reporting method, meaning that the reporting unit uses its available
documentation and records to fill in the questionnaires. The competent person enters the requested
(existed or estimated data) for the previous year. The reporting unit forwards the questionnaire to the
relevant statistical authority on which territory its head office is located within the deadline set up in
the annual plan.
Timetable
Months
1
Distribution of the questionnaires
to regional statistical units
Fieldwork
Delivery of inputted and controlled
material
Logical and computer control
Data procesing
Preliminary data
Data validation
Final data
Desimination
Preparation for the new survey
x
15
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10
11 12
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Level of data representatives
(territorial)
The data are representative for the territory of the
Republic of Serbia
Regions
Divisions
Municipalities
As well by river basins:
Danube
Sava
Morava
16
Harmonization with international
recommendations, standards and practice
The
methodology relative to this survey is
harmonized with international recommendations
and standards:
Water
Framework Directive, WFD - 2000/60/EC;
JQ OECD/Eurostat – Inland water;
Questionnaire REQ12 – Regional Environmental Data
Collection - Inland water;
JQ UNSD/UNEP – Environmental Statistics.
17
SURVEY TOOLS
Questionnaire and instructions for filling the questionnaire
For conducting the survey on drinking water supply, used is the
Questionnaire “Annual survey on drinking water supply, (VOD – 2v)”
and “Annual survey on urban wastewater (VOD-2k), with the
instructions for completing it.
Electronic form of the questionnaire with the instructions is also
available on SORS website: www.stat.gov.rs
Methodologies (www.stat.gov.rs)
List of nomenclatures and classifications used in the survey
• Code list of watercourses
• Classification of Activities (CA – 2010, “Official Gazette of RS”, No 54/10)
• Regulation on Nomenclature of Statistical territorial Units (“Official Gazette of RS”, No 109/09 and
46/10).
All documents are available on SORS website: www.stat.gov.rs
18
Table 2 Water distribution and losses
Sequen
ce
number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
19
Total distributed water (2+7)
Total water sold to: (3+4+5+6)
Households
Enterprises dealing with:
agriculture, forestry and fishing
Industry enterprises
Other consumers: schools,
institutions, stores, hospitals,
hotels, etc.
Water for own consumption
of which: sanitary water
Total water losses
Number of:
Water
quantity,
thous. m3
Average price
of water
distributed
with VAT, in
RSD / m3
1
2
3
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
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Table 3 Water treatment, water supply network, users
and costs for the production of drinking water
Sequen
ce
number
1
32
35
36
...
20
...
Number of water connections pipes
Number of households connected to
water supply network
Population connected to water supply
network - NEW
...
Number
of:
Water
quantity,
thousend m3
1
2
xxxxxxxx
Wastewater discharged in water bodies
Average price
Water
Number quantity, of wastewater
with VAT, in
of:
3
thous. m
RSD / m3
Seq.
number
1
1
Wastewater discharged -total
2
- Untreated water
3
-Treated water
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
21
2
3
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx
•Primary treatment (physical/ chemical)
•Secondary treatment (physical/ biological)
•Tertiary treatment (physical/chemical/
biological)
Wastewater discharged - from household
Number of households connected to the
wastewater collecting system
Population connected to the wastewater
collecting system (NEW)
Number of households with septic tanks
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
Table 6 - List of all settlements covered by the public
water supply and urban wastewater collecting systems
Number of
Number of
Total
households
Total
Name of the households distributed connected wastewater
to urban discharged
settlement connected to water
public water thous. m3 wastewater thous. m3
supply
coll. system
22
NAME 1
N1
MMM
N2 >= N1
VVV <MMM
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Population connected to public water
supply
2012
Hauseholds
Number of
connected to
households
public water
(Census
supply by
2011)
survey (VOD2)
Nu. of
Estimation/
occupied
Hauseholds
dwellings
connected to
with (Census public water
2011)
supply
%
%
1
2
R Serbia
2500690
2210993
88.42
1822943
2044583
81.76
2.88
5 888 399
Serbia - North
1302590
1349835
103.63
1079142
1197175
91.91
2.75
3 292 231
•Belgrade
606433
659815
108.80
547321
562547
92.76
2.73
1 535 753
-Belgrade
606433
659815
108.80
547321
562547
92.76
2.73
1 535 753
Vračar3)
539483
606593
112.44
476632
509325
94.41
2.23
1 135 795
Lazarevac
18862
11782
62.46
11978
11782
62.46
3.11
36 642
Mladenovac
17512
12180
69.55
10085
12180
69.55
3.01
36 662
Obrenovac
23712
23359
98.51
18622
23359
98.51
3.04
71 011
6864
5901
85.97
3578
5901
85.97
2.97
17 526
696157
690020
99.12
531821
634628
91.16
2.76
1 751 573
68888
67819
98.45
38398
63063
91.54
2.72
171 531
10772
11062
102.69
7758
10161
94.33
2.67
27 130
...
...
Sopot
Vojvodina
•West Bačka
-Apatin
...
23
...
3
Average
number of
Estimation/
households Population connected
members to public water supply
...
...
4
...
...
...
Population connected to wastewater
systems /WWT
2012
R Serbia
Number of
households
connected to
WW system by
Survey
Number of
households
(Census 2011)
/Estimation/
Households
connected to
WWT
%
Average
Estimation/
number of Population
households connected to
members
WWT
%
1461148
2500690
58.43
1466334
58.64
2.88
4223042
Serbia - North
862308
1302590
66.20
862308
66.20
2.75
2371347
Belgrade
518586
606433
85.51
518586
85.51
2.73
1415740
-Belgrade
518586
606433
85.51
518586
85.51
2.73
1415740
Vračar3)
490063
539483
90.84
490063
90.84
2.23
1092840
Lazarevac
8269
18862
43.84
8269
43.84
3.11
25717
Mladenovac
8370
17512
47.80
8370
47.80
3.01
25194
11300
23712
47.66
11300
47.66
3.04
34352
584
6864
8.51
584
8.51
2.97
1734
343722
696157
49.37
343722
49.37
2.76
948673
West Bačka
18421
68888
26.74
18421
26.74
2.72
50105
Apatin
6100
10772
56.63
6100
56.63
2.67
16287
...
...
...
...
Obrenovac
Sopot
Vojvodina
...
...
24
...
...
Population connected to WWT
2012
Population connected
to wastewater
collecting system
Population
connected to
wastewater
treatment
Population
connected to
primary
treatment
Population
connected to
secondary
treatment
Population
connected to
tertiary
treatment
R Serbia

4221817
783637
110914
596793
97549
Serbia - North
2367138
266373
29741
166763
90482
•Belgrade
1413453
0
0
0
0
-Belgrade
1413453
0
0
0
0
Vračar3)
1267357
0
0
0
0
Lazarevac
25678
0
0
0
0
Mladenovac
25179
0
0
0
0
Obrenovac
34401
0
0
0
0
1732
0
0
0
0
949405
268023*
29925
167797*
91043*
50145
20509
20441
20509
0
16274
0
0
0
0
Sopot
•Vojvodina
-West Bačka
Apatin
25
Key issues and challenges - statistics
•Data sources
•All Public water supply and sewerage systems are
included;
•Data availability
•Some data is not available.
•Time series
•Survey has been conducted more than 50 years.
•Problems existing with data collection:
•Lack of educated people responsible to fulfilling
questionnaires.
•Unpaid (from users) distributed water, often has
been presented as losses.
26
Key issues and challenges
Losses
presented as total (by transport and by leakage)
Number of households identified as Number of pipe
(water) connections
Measurement units often wrong
Estimations depend of experts.
Comparability
Across
and validation data
countries, Region
Reporting to Eurostat and UNSD
27
Challenges – EPA
Better data collection procedures
 Improved quality assurance
 Increased monitoring frequency
 Integration of local, regional and national
information systems – SEIS concept
applied
 Building capacity on all levels
 Better financial instruments

Outputs
Percentage of population connected
to public water supply
Water losses
Outputs
Percentage of population connected
to public sewage systems
Water Treatment Index
Thank you for your
attention!