According to the annual report issued by the Albanian Water Regulatory Authority (ERRU) for 2020, Tirana’s Water Supply company (UKT) has been operating without a license as it does not meet the criteria set by the State Health Inspectorate for it to be issued with a Hygiene-Sanitation Approval Certificate.
ERRU has reviewed the licensing documentation submitted by UKT and noted that the company’s current Hygiene-Sanitation Approval Certificate does not cover its entire service area, leaving out parts of Tirana’s rural districts, including Baldushk, Peza, Farka and Bërzhitë.
ERRU’s reasoning is in line with the audit report issued by the National Supreme Audit Authority of Albania (KLSH) in 2019, which states:
“This is mainly the result of [water supply] companies having expanded their service to add-on rural areas whose water supply systems use obsolete materials.”
Meanwhile, the official website of UKT states that the city’s water quality is monitored daily, but none of their analysis reports have been published.
Despite their lack of licensing, water supply companies are allowed to operate under unsafe conditions and possible water pollution.
Out of 57 water supply companies that operate in the country, only 49 are equipped with valid licenses.
While UKT and the water supply company for Selenica are in the process of renewing their licenses, the companies operating in Divjakë, Has and Lushnjë continue their work with invalid licenses.
Water supply companies in Lushnjë and Has had their licenses expire in July 2020 and have not yet applied for their renewal even after the Water Regulatory Authority slammed them with penalties.
The water supply companies in Kamza, Klos and Pustec have not yet been provided with a license, as they have failed to complete the documentation required to do so, including receiving the crucial Hygienic-Sanitary Approval Certificate.
At the end of 2020, only 2 of 57 Water Supply and Sewerage companies provided services related to the “treatment of drinking water for human consumption,” while 52 of them did collect and dispose of wastewater.
Wastewater treatment is carried out in 8 plants owned by Water Supply and Sewerage companies, but only 4 of them are equipped with a license from the Water Regulatory Authority (ERRU), as the rest do not meet the legal standards for licensing.
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