Northern Kosovo residents to receive first water bills since war

People in northern Kosovo are set to start paying for water for the first time since the 1999 war, ending nearly three decades of free supply in the region’s Serb-majority municipalities.

Residents in North Mitrovica, Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić are expected to join Kosovo’s regular billing system later this year.

The change will bring an end to an arrangement under which water was supplied but never charged, leaving around €20m in unpaid bills, according to the regional water company.

The rollout has been delayed while staff are recruited, customers registered and water meters installed.

Officials have not said what will happen to the accumulated debt, with the water company saying a decision will be taken at a later stage.

The move follows a similar change in electricity billing, which began in northern Kosovo in 2024.