Albanian citizens only have access to running water an average of 13.2 hours a day, according to the Water Regulatory Authority.
In a report published by the Authority and analysed by Euronews, water utilities in Tirana, Fier, and Elbasan operate without a license due to not meeting the Hygiene-Sanitary Approval Act by the State Health Inspectorate. It also found that some 200,000 subscribers do not have a water meter attached to their properties.
Exit previously published investigations that showed many citizens in multiple areas of Tirana went many hours, days, and even weeks without access to running water. The Municipality denied these claims and said that it only affected a handful of areas.
Furthermore, water in Tirana is not fit for consumption resulting in citizens having to purchase bottled water. A class action lawsuit has been filed against the cities water provider UKT for both failing to provide water suitable for drinking, and for water shortages.
Despite all of these shortcomings, the report published by the Authority showed that operating and maintenance costs for 2019 has increased to ALL 1.3 billion compared to revenues of ALL 584 million.
