The Mayor of Tirana, Erion Veliaj, guaranteed citizens once again that
tap water supply will be 24/7 within the next five years. For this he
published the investment plan drafted by the Tirana Water and
Canalization Company (UKT), with assistance from USAID.
In a hearing session held with the SP and SMI municipal councillors, Veliaj explained that this is the only way to increase investments in Tirana’s water system.
“Former Mayor Basha left our city with 7 hours of running tap water a day. Today we have 13. We have increased the water supply with 85%. There is no other way to increase investments. 90% of Tirana citizens don’t understand when there is no running water, because they use deposits. Other areas can remove deposits because they have tap water 24/7. In Bovilla we are cleaning water based on European paramters, but its quality is damaged by deposits. There are just two examples of cities having water 24/7, Korca and pogradec. But citizens there pay water with 99 and 95 ALL per cubic meter”, Veliaj said.
The Mayor of Tirana presented the investment plan for the next five years, and underlined that running water 24/7 can be achieved through a 120 million EUR loan and the rest of investments should be covered by the water supply company.
Another proposition is to invest on a transmission system that doesn’t allow interferences. Most of the water is taken illegally from pipes by illegal interventions in suburb areas.
More investments will be made to take the water system to informal areas created after the 90s, where apartment buildings rose before a proper canalization system was built, and where the population has increased by dozens of thousands. Veliaj declared that without a higher price, the water supply will be realized only after 4 decades.
The Mayor also replied to the Democratic Party, whose leader, Lulzim Basha, said this price increase was a crime against citizens. Veliaj said that when Lulzim Basha was Mayor, the water price increased with 125% and without any transparency, without giving any explanations in front of the councilors.
“Berisha as Prime Minister has a budget deficit and he forced Lulzim Basha as Mayor to take huge loans in a second-hand bank and pledge the Water Canalization. The Municipality is owner on paper, but the collateral of our assets belongs to a second-hand bank. Basha borrowed 20 million EUR in a bank, gave it all to Berisha and was left without a penny. Now we have to pay this debt for the next five years”, Veliaj declared.
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