World Water Day is celebrated on 22 March. This year, it is particularly important to remind ourselves of the growing threat posed by climate change – the accelerated melting of glaciers. That’s why this year’s motto for World Water Day is: “Save our glaciers.” Glaciers are crucial to the global water cycle and maintaining the stability of ecosystems. They are a vital resource for billions of people around the world, providing a source of water for human consumption, energy and ecosystem stability. Due to rising global temperatures, glaciers are melting rapidly, with significant consequences such as reduced water availability, rising sea levels and increased frequency of floods, droughts and landslides, as well as disruption of ecosystem balance. The accelerated melting of glaciers makes the water cycle unpredictable and more susceptible to extremes. This threatens to destroy numerous communities and ecosystems that depend on the stability of these ice reserves.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition, Croatian Waters and the “Josip Juraj Strossmayer” Water Institute jointly marked this day by awarding contracts and starting work on the reconstruction of the dikes on the left bank of the Sava River between Hrušćica and Nartski Novaki in the municipality of Rugvica.
In addition, Minister Marija Vučković, accompanied by Elizabeta Kos, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Directors, and Zoran Đuroković, General Director of Croatian Waters, together with MP Davor Vukmirić and collaborators, visited the Institute’s Main Water Laboratory and attended a presentation prepared for them by Director Šiljeg. The presentation covered the Institute’s new achievements since the Minister’s last visit in July last year.
In the discussion that followed, it was concluded that more intensive co-operation between our key institutions in the field of water management is the basis for success in achieving the common goal – effective management of water resources and protection of the water wealth of the Republic of Croatia.
