Sustainable Management of Water Resources in Urban Areas: Case Study Rasina District

Abstract Analysis of the state and quality of surface waters on the territory of Rasina district was performed based on the calculation of the BDE Index (Basin Demographic Emission Index) into the Zapadna Morava basin, on the Jasika profile, as well as by defining SWQI (Serbian Water Quality Index) at two hydrological stations on the Zapadna and Južna Morava river courses in the period from 2009 to 2023. The basin demographic emission index (index BDE) represents a criterion of sustainability in the management of urban water supply and wastewater drainage systems. This indicator links key parameters (the number of inhabitants and quantities of outpoured waste waters, the official and average flow in the river) into one single number (index) and enables an easier overview of the state of water resources in time and space. In the analyzed fifteen-year period, the basin demographic emission index show that there is a pronounced upward trend line, which indicates a positive development tendency of the indicator from the point of established sustainability criteria. Water quality was analyzed based on the following selected parameters: oxygen saturation, BOD5, ammonium, pH value, TON, orthophosphates, suspended solids, temperature, conductivity and coliform bacteria. The obtained results show that poor water quality (WQI-61‐62) was registered on both profiles on an annual basis. The worst water quality was recorded at the Maskare hydrological station, on the Zapadna Morava in 2015 (WQI-57). The waters of the Rasina district are mostly loaded with organic matter which originates from waste sewage and industrial waters from urban and rural areas. The aim of this paper is to point out the need to define a planned system for water management, which would enable their rational use both in the present and in the future. By applying the concept of sustainable development, we are creating a basis for the rational use of all natural resources, as well as the basis for the improvement of the environment as a whole.