The artificial Lake Batllava, built in the 1970s, is located in the village of Batllava, in the municipality of Podujeva. The lake's primary function is to supply Pristina and Podujeva with drinking water, and it is the main water source for Kosovo.
Lake Batllava is a maximum of 48 meters deep. The lake houses a water extraction power plant with three levels: at the bottom, in the middle, and near the surface of the water. The best water quality is from the middle level. The water from the plant is then sent to a factory on a nearby mountain, which is guarded by KFOR. There, the water is treated, chlorinated, and then pumped through two pipes.
One pipe supplies half of Pristina, with a capacity of 1,000 liters per second, while the other pipe supplies Podujeva, with a capacity of 250 liters per second. Each year, the water supply system extracts 34 million tons of water from the lake.
Lake Batllava covers an area of 3.29 km² and is now used for summer vacations, recreation, fishing, and relaxation at various restaurants. It is undoubtedly one of the most frequented tourist attractions in Kosovo.
