NGOs wants govt to ensure water access for all Roma villages

Talking to the press near an illegally built Roma village without water supply in southeastern Slovenia, Amnesty International Slovenija director Nataša Posel said the NGO was petitioning the government to provide access to water for settlements that do not have it.

"Water supply is in the purview of municipalities, but if they fail to do this for their residents, it is the state's duty to take action and ensure the right to water as enshrined in the constitution," the petition reads.

"While public opinion is focused in the green transition and nuclear energy, many Roma settlements are striving to get their homes connected to the water supply and the energy grid," Posel said. "Many Roma children are doing their homework by candlelight or spend their evenings in the dark."

She finds it unacceptable that the state denies water and electricity to Roma families in villages that have existed for decades. This means the children are doomed to a life of illiteracy and poverty, Posel said on the eve of the World Children's Day.

According to government data, some 20% of Roma settlements have no water supply. "The government says that they are self-sufficient, but in reality this means that their washing machine runs on rain water and only works when it rains. This cannot be a systemic solution," said Posel.

Jože Horvat Muc, the head of the Roma Association, said a lack of access to water and electricity created a myriad of problems for Roma families: it made it harder for children to stay in school and for adults to find employment.

Horvat Muc believes that the state should approach water and electricity access very seriously. These issues cannot be left in the hands of individual politicians and mayors. "We need systemic rules, systemic funding and systemic responsibility to address this."

He believes the problem could in part be resolved with changes to Article 20 of the Financing of Municipalities Act so as to determine that the funds received by municipalities with Roma population must be earmarked to address Roma issues.

Horvat Muc said that municipalities with Roma population receive a total of EUR 9.2 million a year, which "is not insignificant".

The press conference took place outside a Roma village near the town of Ribnica in the spot where the municipality was planning to set up a temporary water tap for the residents of Otavice.

Posel said that this was not a good solution, as the planned tap is one kilometre from the village by road. There is a shorter, 300-metre path to the tap location, but it leads along a rail track and is not safe for children.

Amir Hudorovič, a resident of Otavice, said the tap would be hard to access, especially during winter.

But, according to Ribnica Mayor Samo Pogorelec, this is the only possible solution at the moment. He told the STA the settlement had been built illegally on agricultural land, which means building a water connection there would be illegal.

He said the village had been offered several solutions, from water delivered in fire engines to a water reservoir co-funded by the municipality, but had turned them all down.

"Now, apparently they are turning down this option as well. If they cannot appreciate the temporary water connection, we will not build it. I won't be forcing anybody to be happy."