September the 19th, 2026 – So-called “forever chemicals” have unfortunately been found in Lika water following the shameful hazardous waste scandal.
The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) and the Public Health Institute of Lika-Senj County have published the results of extraordinary water sampling in the Lika area. Index reports that the results have revealed that dangerous PFAS compounds, so-called “forever chemicals,” were found in two private wells downstream from an illegal waste dump near Gospić, but they assure the public that the pollution is exclusively of a local character and that water from the public water supply is not endangered.
the chemicals were found in two wells near the illegal waste dump
According to the HZJZ statement, from the 20th of August to the 9th of September water was sampled from 43 private facilities – 38 wells, three cisterns and two springs. The Institute states that in one well in the immediate vicinity of the dump a concentration of PFAS compounds of 0.3018 µg/L was recorded, which is three times higher than the maximum permitted limit of 0.1 µg/L. In the second well 0.0265 µg/L was measured, which is within the permitted limits. HZJZ claims that the owners of the disputed wells are connected to the public water supply and do not use that water for drinking. As for the other findings, the Institute claims that in 33 facilities only “usual microbiological pollution characteristic of untreated water” was recorded, while elevated physical-chemical values in a further 10 samples are attributed to the natural properties of the karst, and not to the dumped waste.
the people of lika feel betrayed by the government
The statement comes at a moment when the scandal surrounding the illegal burial of as many as 37,000 tonnes of hazardous waste in Divoselo and Benkovačko Selo near Gospić has grown into a first-class political scandal. HZJZ Director Krunoslav Capak personally sits on the newly established Scientific Council of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, a body that the government formed precisely with the aim of “correctly interpreting” in public the dramatic findings of the USKOK investigation into the pollution of soil and waters in Lika. The documents that Plenković’s Scientific Council is supposed to put into the “correct context” were signed by authorised institutions and are quite exact.
The expert examination by the “Josip Juraj Strossmayer” Water Institute for the Divoselo location established that the water passing immediately under the dump carries 89 percent of the total detected plastic, while upstream it is clean. 737 micrograms of Styrofoam per litre were measured, and the presence of Teflon from the group of “forever chemicals” (PFAS) was also recorded, with the expert’s note that the Lika River is a directly connected water body.
the prime minister is at the council’s helm
Although formally composed of professors from technical and natural science faculties, the Council has been placed under the direct authority of the Prime Minister. According to the government decision, the sessions are convened and chaired by Plenković himself, operational tasks are carried out by his office, and there are no prescribed obligations for the publication of minutes, expert conclusions or any dissenting opinions of members. The entire manoeuvre of forming the Council is taking place at a time when the remediation is only being prepared, and political pressure on the ruling party is growing after a mass protest in Zagreb and a drop in HDZ’s rating.
is there any real reason to panic?
Despite this, HZJZ persists in the claim that there is no reason for panic. They state that the fact that such compounds were not found in other wells across the county proves that it is “pollution of a local character in a narrower circle.” They also repeat that private wells in any case do not fall under regular state supervision and that the responsibility lies with the owners themselves. The Institute finally states that all regular tests confirm that water from the public water supply in the entire Lika-Senj County area, as well as on the islands of Pag and Rab, is completely health-safe and that they will continue monitoring the situation on the ground.
