GOALS AND ASPECTS OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT AS A GREAT ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM IN SERBIA

Abstract

The increase in population and the development of industry lead to an increase in water consumption, which leads to an increase in the amount of used, wastewater. Along with the urbanization and development of industry and agriculture, the level of wastewater pollution has increased. Due to the discharge of wastewater into the recipients, catastrophic consequences have occurred in the recipient (watercourses and water accumulation, land), that is, into the ecosystem as a whole. Regardless of how and where they are generated, the wastewater must be treated if its quality falls outside the scope of the law. The competent state authorities adopt wastewater quality standards, with the primary objective of protecting water resources and land from potential pollution, which can occur if standards and norms are not respected. The quality of the treated wastewater should comply with the requirements of the Regulation
on limit values for pollutants in water and the deadlines for their attainment ("Official Gazette" RS, No. 67/11, 48/12) and the European Council Directive on urban wastewater treatment (Urban waste water treatment Directive 91/271/EEC and 98/15/ EEC).