Czechia’s water and wastewater management has improved significantly over the last three decades. About 95% of the Czech population is connected to main water lines and 86% to the sewerage system. However, the infrastructure is aging and needs to be replaced or upgraded to comply with more stringent EU regulations and to meet the demand of new housing developments.
Due to the privatization of the water supply industry in the 1990s, the market is highly fragmented with small municipalities representing a large proportion of operators. In the large urban centres of Prague, Brno and Ostrava, French companies Veolia and SUEZ are the sole operators in partnership with city authorities.
Wastewater management accounted for 40% (about $719 million) of investments in environmental protection in Czechia in 2022. The Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Transport provide financial support in this sector, including for R&D. Funding for specific projects is also extended by the European Investment Bank.