1.1.1.WATER RESOURCES The Republic of Montenegro has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland. The terrain is a highly indented coastline with a narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus. Montenegro’s surface, which totals 13,812km2, is drained into two catchment areas: the Adriatic and the Black Sea. The total area of the Black Sea catchment area is 7,545km2 (54.6 per cent of the territory). This part is drained by the River Ibar and further by the Zapadna Morava and by the rivers Tara, Piva, Lim and Cehotina, as well as by the Drina. The Montenegro part of the Adriatic catchment area is around 6,560km2 (45.4 per cent of the territory). The biggest water courses are the Zeta and the Moraca, or the Moraca after their confluence in Podgorica, and the Bojana. Also the Sutorina, Drenovštica, Lukavac, Građevica, Bečićka and Reževića rivers, Željeznica, Rikavac, Bratica, Brdela, and Međureč empty directly into the Adriatic sea. Lake Skadar is the largest in the Balkans, and by the volume of retained water the second after Lake Ohrid. The complex of Lake Skadar, Drim and Bojana has extremely complicated hydrogeography, with a catchment area of around 20,000km 2. It is formed on the territory of Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Albania and Montenegro and there are a large number of hydroelectric power stations. With an average outflow of 40l/sec/km2 (or 19.5km³/year) Montenegro ranks among the top four per cent of countries with the highest average outflow. Given that at least 95.3 per cent of Montenegro’s waterways originate in its territory, it is safe to say that water is the country’s greatest natural resource. In fact, Montenegro is one of the wealthiest countries in Europe in terms of water. However, although the country records high levels of precipitation, a large part of its territory (Orijen, Lovćen, Rumija and Katunska Nahija) does not have enough water because it is lost in the underground karst.

1.1.2.WATER USE In 2005, the total volume of water delivered was 53,671,000m³; 33,460,000m³ to households, 13,165,000m³ to businesses and 7,046,000m³ to other consumers. Total losses were 48,195.000m³. Despite the apparent abundance of water, around 35 per cent of Montenegrin territory suffers from a chronic lack of water, which can only be solved by means of expensive hydraulic procedures. Around 10 per cent of the territory has a problem with seasonal surplus water. The problem is caused by an inadequate infrastructure in terms of water supply. As a consequence of climatic conditions, the uncontrolled use of water, huge losses in the water supply system and inadequate infrastructure, water consumption is double that in western Europe. Moreover, there is insufficient provision for drinking water in the coastal region during the tourist season.