Sociale 2025-10-11 10:02:00 Nga VNA

In Tirana, drinking water flows only in promises

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In Tirana, drinking water flows only in promises

Natasha Muçi, 69, was found unwell on the night of September 3. With her husband bedridden and temperatures still high in Tirana, Natasha needed water at home, but there was none. In the Muçi family's home, next to the Foreign Ministry in Tirana, the tap did not drip all day.

The woman complains that there has been a complete lack of water for days, but even when there is, the supply is on schedule.

"We are supplied with water from 6:00 to 8:00 in the morning; at 1:00 p.m. it only comes for an hour, and there are times in the afternoon we don't have any at all," she said.

In the presence of this reporter, Muçi called the Tirana Water Supply Company, but three calls went unanswered. The elderly woman says that even when the phone is answered, the answers are "arrogant and unexplainable."

"We have also called the UKT toll-free number, but they are not answering. When they answer, they say that zone 1 has water, when in fact there is no water," the desperate woman added.

While the 69-year-old kept her eyes on the faucet, Prime Minister Edi Rama promised on television a deep reform of the water supply and the removal of deposits from the terraces of buildings, which are often the only hope for water supply in the capital.

"This is also the time to start working step by step on the plan to remove deposits that have become extraordinary burdens on buildings," Rama said in a long speech, where he blamed car washes and abusers for the lack of water.

But while Rama spoke of an improved water supply situation and promised reforms, entire neighborhoods in the capital were without water in the first weeks of September. BIRN spoke to residents in Administrative Units 1, 2 and 10, which belong to the city center, while finding an even worse situation in the Astir area on the outskirts.

Opposition representatives in the Tirana Municipal Council blame the government for the unfulfilled promises of water supply to Tirana residents.

"The lack of water is evident in the water bottles purchased in the markets. Citizens pay twice: once for the UKT bill and once for the water bottles purchased in the market, becoming victims of institutional fraud," said Ilir Alimehmeti.

Tirana Water and Sewerage Company, UKT, denied that there was a water shortage in entire neighborhoods of the capital during September. In a written response on September 23, the utility said that the capital's residents received 17.3 hours of water per day and that the shortages were due to defects and were brief.

"Currently, we do not have any neighborhoods without drinking water supply. But we have houses and apartments that are at higher quotas and outside the limits of technical limits," said the Water Supply Manager.

Water flows only in promises

In Tirana, drinking water flows only in promises

Drinking water is one of the key issues in local and central electoral campaigns in Tirana. In the last three decades, mayors and prime ministers have often repeated promises of uninterrupted supply to the citizens of Tirana.

UKT, for its part, completely denies problems with water supply.

“There is no shortage of drinking water in the city of Tirana. There may be temporary disconnections or reductions in cases of defects,” UKT told BIRN. The company insisted that what it called the imbalance in supply was due to water misuse in the network by users and interference in the network.

"The amount of drinking water is calculated per capita and not per waste. The waste of drinking water by individuals for various reasons as well as interventions in the network are the main causes of the imbalance in water distribution," the official response states.

These statements do not impress Erinda Luka, who lives with her father in Astir. She says they have been hearing promises of running water for decades and nothing has changed.

"We've been told for decades that there will be 24-hour water, but that never happens," Luka said.

Referring to the prime minister's "war" on deposits, Luka says this would leave them without any hope for water. "Deposits are our salvation, they can't take them away. We've only received words from promises," she says.

A family in administrative unit 10 in the center of Tirana has placed a tank with a pump on the balcony of their house as the only solution to have water.

"I have four children, the youngest is 3 years old. To survive and not live, I have set up a storage room inside the house, even though it makes noise, I have nothing to do," says the head of the family, asking to remain anonymous since his wife works in administration.

He says that water is constantly lacking and cannot be used for drinking. He has also heard promises, even on the steps of the palace where he encountered candidates for the campaign.

"I was climbing the stairs when I met a SP MP. He asked me about the problems in the area, apart from the road, the most vital thing is water, I told him. He laughed and said we will bring it because we are going to enter Europe. What kind of black Europe are you talking about, we don't have water to go to the toilet," he says indignantly.

Even when he comes, he comes dirty.

In Tirana, drinking water flows only in promises

The Tirana court declared in 2021 that the capital's water is not drinkable, after a four-year process that highlighted the lack of compliance of quality with legal standards. But even after the court's decision, what citizens get from the tap is the same. The water smells and is often cloudy.

Ilir Alimehmeti, a member of the Municipal Council for the Democratic Party, says that the water quality endangers the city's residents.

According to him, water hazards are divided into two categories: microbiological and chemical.

"The analyses show the presence of Escherichia Coli and Streptococcus fecalis bacteria, which indicate contamination with sewage — especially in overpopulated areas like Astiri and Kombinati," says Alimehmeti, a doctor by profession.

He also adds that a large amount of chlorine is used in Tirana, which is also quite harmful.

"At the same time, water chlorination is used at levels above the norms, making it potentially carcinogenic in the long term and harmful to body organs. Health consequences include frequent gastroenteritis, hepatitis, and tumor risks that are often not officially identified," Alimehmeti added.

UKT denied that the water had any problems. According to them, the water resources are sufficient to meet the city’s needs. The water quality is monitored daily by two laboratories within UKT, and parameters such as aroma, taste, color and turbidity are maintained according to national standards and WHO recommendations. “The chlorine level is maintained within the values ​​of 0.3–0.5 mg/l, making the water safe for consumption,” UKT stated.

But Erges Eskiu, a resident of Unit 2 in Tirana, says that in addition to being supplied with limited hours, the water is often unusable. “I have to buy bottled water for the children, as the tap water is cloudy and has a strong chlorine smell,” he says.

The head of the family says that because the tap water is not drinkable, monthly expenses increase by 5 thousand new lek.

"So the UKT bill goes for 2300-2700, plus the water we buy to drink, I calculated 2400 lek per month. About 5000 lek," he calculates. /BIRN/

 

 

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