Groundwater Quality Degradation in Obrenovac Municipality, Serbia

Abstract

1. Introduction Water has no definition. Any interpretation, explanation, its formula or description, does not actually represent anything of what it really is. Although much is written about it and we think to know all, yet, it remains a great mystery to us. The water is like religion. Everywhere around us, does not impose, used as needed, usually mechanically, we are unable to recognize the salvation role in it. When we have enough water and turn it into a " servant " (means of use), we relate to it with negligence, just like we do with the faith in times of welfare. Only the lack of water and the need for it create a sense of ontological connection to us. And then we devote ourselves to prayer. And the greater the need for it becomes, the more zealous the prayer is. In any well-organized society people's attitude toward water has a special status. If the need for quality water is greater, and its availability is lesser, awareness of the need to preserve and nurture this resource is also greater. During the medieval subsistence economy, the water quality problem did not exist and it was used in its natural state without any special treatment. By social division of labor, development of cities and urbanization, industrialization and intensive agricultural production, a man comes into conflict with the water. Although the conflict was inevitable, it seems that in many communities (societies) a good chance to keep it under control was omitted. So, from a natural ally, we have created ourselves an opponent to whom we are not worthy rivals, nor will we ever be. And all we needed to do was to show just a little respect. In Serbia, we have long lived under the delusion that with 6000 m 3 /s of water flowing off from our territory and 10 million inhabitants, which is 52 m 3 /inhabitant/day, we fall into countries with the high-water supply. At the end of the last century, the intensification of climate oscillations brought frequent and long drought periods, which pointed to the weaknesses of our water management systems. Then we have remembered that a water crisis is threatening, because, in fact, only 8 % of all waters that flow off are the domicile