Artificial lake and hydro-plant “Gazivode” are of strategic importance for survival and future of Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija, and together with “Trepca” and power station “Valac” are strategically important to Serbia as a whole, mayor of Zubin Potok municipality, Stevan Vulovic told RTS.

Mayor Vulovic is convinced Serbia would manage to preserve it as its own property.

“If water supply would be cut off to the power-plants they could not produce electric energy, any type of production would cease, water supply to more than 700.000 people would cease as well, informational technologies would shut down, the life in Kosovo and Metohija would stop,” mayor Vulovic explained as why “Gazivode” is that important.

Vulovic added that all arguments when it comes to the ownership over the hydro-system “Gazivode”, run by public enterprise for water supply, production and distribution of electric energy “Ibar” are on the Serbian side.

“Around 80 percent of the lake is located in the municipality of Zubin Potok, in the north of Kosovo, with majority Serbian population, while the smaller part of the lake belongs to the Novi Pazar municipality,” mayor Vulovic said.

He recalled that reconstruction of a dam and the entire hydro-system was financed by the World Bank during the seventies of XX century, and the entire loan in the amount of 900 million euros was paid back by Serbia and one part by “Djerdap.”

“I had a chance to look at all original contracts signed by Josip Broz Tito. Participation of Kosovo in dislocating the Serb population from this area, in fact, only in part related to the expropriation, when you see how much they paid per square meter of land, comparing to what the World Bank recognized as the capital, it is around 70 million euros, meaning their participation in the reconstruction of the system is less than 1 percent.”

Vulovic also said 95 percent of the infrastructure is located in Zubin Potok municipality, but the municipality receives no incomes from it.

“Gazivode” acquires incomes higher than 10 million euros annually, but we have no any benefit from it, while investments are made only by the Republic of Serbia and local self-governance. According to all the laws, Albanians are obliged to pay for the water at least, but they use it for free, in fact, take it away with the approval of the international community,” he said, RTS reported.