"Water only a few hours a day"/ Residents of Memëlisht raise the alarm

2026-07-20 15:04:00, Sociale CNA

"Water only a few hours a day"/ Residents of Memëlisht raise the

Residents of the village of Memëlisht in the Municipality of Pogradec have raised the alarm over the lack of drinking water, a problem that they say has been going on for years and that has become even more severe during the summer season. They say they are only supplied with water for one or two hours in the morning and the same amount in the evening, while the rest of the day the taps remain dry.

"Water only a few hours a day"/ Residents of Memëlisht raise the

To meet the most basic needs, many residents are forced to fill buckets and cans every time the water comes or to buy drinking water.

"We have no choice. Who can we tell? We fill buckets with water and what can we do? We fill water bottles when there is water in the morning, we use that for drinking. Is it used like that? Give them a solution. Without water, they can't fight. Even the institutions know that we are without water. At 6 o'clock in the evening, the water comes, then it turns off at 8 o'clock. Now there is nothing," says a resident.

Residents say the situation is paradoxical, as despite investments in the water supply network and the construction of a new storage tank, the supply continues to be on schedule. They claim that the reservoir is filled, but water is not distributed regularly to the network, while problems with the infrastructure have increased.

"The problem is very big. There is no water here. The sewers were built, a new water tank was built, water still comes to us on schedule, as they say, but there is still no water. Two hours in the morning, two hours in the evening, that's not enough to meet our vital needs. It's a big problem. The water always, when the tank is full, is poured into the river, and they keep the water turned off. It's a shame in 2026 that the problem of drinking water is still being discussed. The institutions are aware, but no one is putting water on the fire. Think about the people who don't have drinking water. The roads, as you can see, were a disaster. They were paved, the pipes burst, and the water came out undrinkable. We don't know who to turn to. Water is something that is consumed every second. There is a spring near the Teran River and we go there to fill up with water. We call on you to deal with this problem because it is a vital need," says one of the residents. the area.

"Water only a few hours a day"/ Residents of Memëlisht raise the

According to residents, the lack of a continuous supply makes it impossible to carry out daily activities, while families are forced to adapt their entire routine to the water schedule.

"Most of the water is on a schedule. It is not enough, because water is needed 24 hours a day. Every bathroom, every washing machine. Water comes for an hour. In this heat, it is a problem. This problem has started since the new network was installed. We only have water for the winter. The storage tank is not supplied. The entire village has this problem. They very rarely have wells or tanks," says another resident.

Some residents blame the way the water supply project was implemented, claiming that the network was expanded to supply other areas without increasing water sources.

"When the water supply was built, we argued with those gentlemen from the company, because they extended the water network to Gur i Kuq and also brought it into the village of Çervenakë, with the same water that we had before. That's why we don't have water. The network was expanded, but the water remained the same. We told them to add a spring, but it wasn't done. They told us that we would have water 24 hours a day. There are many springs, but they didn't take them to the storage. They promised a large storage, but nothing was done. The roads are broken and now the pipes are constantly defective. Since the water supply was built, this has been the situation. We buy drinking water, while the water that comes is only used for washing. They told us that it is drinkable, but the tests came out wrong. We pay about 15-20 thousand lek per month for water alone. Even the washing machine doesn't run with one hour of water," said one of the residents.

"Water only a few hours a day"/ Residents of Memëlisht raise the

Other residents also claim that during the day there is a complete lack of water and they are forced to collect water in tanks to meet their family's needs.

"There is no water now, not at this time. At 6 the water comes until 8-9. We collect the water and wait until it comes back. We pay for the water. What solution? The one who is in charge of that job knows. At this time everyone is without water."

"We have two hours of water a day on a schedule. How can we do it? We keep it in a tank, even at its worst. That's how the works were done. It's very difficult. I have a tank. The water is undrinkable, but we manage with that."

In the absence of a solution, the residents of Memëlisht are demanding immediate intervention from the responsible institutions to guarantee an uninterrupted supply of drinking water.

"Water only a few hours a day"/ Residents of Memëlisht raise the

On the other hand, the director of the Water Supply Company admits that Memëlishti has problems with water supply due to the depletion of the existing source. He states that the village is supplied with water for about 8 hours a day and that the situation is also aggravated by the use of drinking water for irrigation of agricultural lands. According to him, within three weeks, the drilling of two new sources is expected to be completed, which will improve the water supply for the village residents. /CNA