The Problem of Water Losses in the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities

Rożnowski, Mateusz; Żywiec, Jakub; Szpak, Dawid; Tchórzewska-Cieślak, Barbara

doi:10.3390/w18050640

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The Problem of Water Losses in the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities

¹

Doctoral School, Rzeszow University of Technology, Al. Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland

²

Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Systems, Faculty of Civil, Environmental Engineering and Architecture, Rzeszow University of Technology, Al. Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Water 2026, 18(5), 640; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050640

Submission received: 26 January 2026 / Revised: 27 February 2026 / Accepted: 6 March 2026 / Published: 8 March 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water Resources Allocation, Planning, and Regulation for Sustainable Management)

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Abstract

One of the objectives of Directive (EU) 2020/2184 is to assess the amount of water leakage in water supply systems (WSS) and to reduce it if it exceeds a certain threshold. The Directive is binding on water supply companies supplying at least 10,000 m³/d or serving at least 50,000 consumers. The problem of water losses due to, among other things, aging infrastructure currently requires appropriate action to be taken by WSS management companies. This paper discusses the problem of water losses in the Visegrad Group countries and the challenges and opportunities associated with it. In order to analyze the problem, a bibliometric analysis of the state of knowledge was performed. The results of the literature review present the current directions of research on this topic in the V4 countries as former communist bloc countries. The strengths and weaknesses identified in the paper can be used to plan water loss reduction by water supply companies, researchers, and legislators.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis; water losses; water supply

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MDPI and ACS Style

Rożnowski, M.; Żywiec, J.; Szpak, D.; Tchórzewska-Cieślak, B. The Problem of Water Losses in the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities. Water 2026, 18, 640. https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050640

AMA Style

Rożnowski M, Żywiec J, Szpak D, Tchórzewska-Cieślak B. The Problem of Water Losses in the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities. Water. 2026; 18(5):640. https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050640

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rożnowski, Mateusz, Jakub Żywiec, Dawid Szpak, and Barbara Tchórzewska-Cieślak. 2026. "The Problem of Water Losses in the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities" Water 18, no. 5: 640. https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050640

APA Style

Rożnowski, M., Żywiec, J., Szpak, D., & Tchórzewska-Cieślak, B. (2026). The Problem of Water Losses in the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities. Water, 18(5), 640. https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050640

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The Problem of Water Losses in the Visegrad Group (V4) Countries: Challenges and Opportunities

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