After drainage, water supply has taken the most significant place. Future water consumption from the Basic Canal Network (OKM) and the spatial distribution of water demand have been considered. The characteristics of the OKM's water intake points on the Danube and Tisa Rivers have been studied, with attention to technical reliability and cost-effectiveness of water supply.
The types of water use determine the total water demand, which includes: irrigation, industrial and municipal supply, navigation, and fisheries.
Irrigation
The basic canal network was designed to support irrigation of:
- 300,000 ha in Banat
- 210,000 ha in Bačka
Significant quantities of water are drawn from the Danube and Tisa. The areas intended for irrigation were determined based on data about soil and terrain topography.
The role of the OKM in irrigation is to draw the necessary amount of water from the Tisa and Danube and deliver it to the intake points of the irrigation systems. Although the OKM is capable of meeting these demands, the development of irrigation systems is very limited compared to its potential, making this use of the OKM negligible.
Since 1960, more modern irrigation systems using artificial rain have been constructed, enabling more intensive agricultural production. However, even the existing systems are not fully utilized due to several subjective factors, such as the absence of post-harvest sowing, lack of skilled personnel, insufficient cooperation with research institutes, and so on.
It is generally assessed that water from the OKM is underused for irrigation—only about 8% of its potential is utilized. The planned development of irrigation systems has not been realized. Restructuring of the agro-industry is only possible with irrigation. The limited possibilities of expanding arable land cannot be achieved without irrigation.
The main reason irrigation systems were not developed as planned lies in unresolved financial issues.
Therefore, irrigation must become part of a broader food production program, where water management, agriculture, industry, and trade find their place.
Water Supply for Industry and Settlements
Supplying water for industrial use involves using water in such a way that it is returned in purified form for reuse by other consumers. Under current conditions, industry uses water from the OKM but does not return it purified, so this function is not realized as intended in project plans.
Today, water is used in technological processes by industries previously located along the OKM. This primarily refers to the industrial zone of Vrbas–Kula–Crvenka, the Begej near Zrenjanin, and others. Water consumption in Bačka is significant and is mostly used for cooling industrial facilities and washing raw materials. Consumption varies throughout the year, peaking in autumn—which coincides with the period when the Danube and Tisa, the sources of the OKM, have the lowest inflows.
Currently, there have been no issues with supplying water to industries, nor to new industrial capacities along the OKM.
Municipal water supply from the OKM canal system is not yet in operation, although the project envisioned supplying the population with water—on a larger scale than for industrial use.
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