A week after a sewerage pipe in Ksamil exploded and flooded the seaside in waste water, the EU has responded to Exit’s request regarding the responsibility over the sewerage network in the Municipality of Saranda.
After the incident, both the Municipality of Saranda and the Director of the Water and Sewerage Utility of Saranda (UKS) claimed that it was an EU project and that the EU had been responsible for the tendering, implementation, and supervision. They also claimed that the project had not yet been handed over to the Municipality, and therefore was beyond their responsibility.
In its response, EU spokesperson Ernest Bunguri stated to Exit that the project had been handed over to the government of Albania in 2017, which transferred responsibility to the Municipality of Saranda:
The new sewerage network in Ksamil, funded by the EU, has been completed, tested and handed over to the Government of Albania in April 2017, who took it over and transferred it to the Saranda Municipality. Since May 2017, the sewerage network is operated by the Water and sewerage Utility of Saranda.
The network is under guarantee by the contractor against defects for a period of one year ending in April 2018. The pipe burst that occurred on 26 July 2017 is being investigated on site by the supervisor of the works. A section of the pipe that burst has been sent to Tirana for detailed inspection and testing. Responsibility for the incident will be pursued but can be established only once the ongoing investigation has been completed.
