Improving drinking water supply and sanitation services

Context

To achieve EU accession, Albania is committed to bringing its water sector up to EU standards.

More than 80 per cent of households in cities and municipalities are connected to the drinking water supply network, compared to barely half of rural households. 50 per cent of households are connected to the sewage system. Only a fraction of the collected wastewater is treated by 12 wastewater treatment plants, the remainder is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes and the sea.

The current restructuring of the country’s water sector and the regionalisation of water service providers with the National Agency for Water, Sanitation and Waste Infrastructure (AKUM) as the main shareholder is an institutional, organisational and technical challenge for the sector.

Objective

Water management in Albania is improving with better drinking water quality, sanitation services, customer service and management as well as more transparency.

Approach

The programme supports implementation of the water sector reform by:

• elaborating strategic documents like the new water sector law, a national water sector strategy, a national digital agenda for a SMART water sector, and many more.
• pushing the further digitalisation of all water sector institutions, customer service portal and document management systems.
• installing or upgrading laboratories for monitoring water quality and wastewater treatment achievements.
• supporting transparency in the sector by providing the public, water utility customers and school children with information on water and hygiene topics.

National and international cooperation and exchange between water institutions widen the network.

The first microbiological laboratory in the Balkan region to detect COVID-19, viruses and antibiotic resistance in untreated wastewater allows Albania to engage internationally in high-level research and pandemic prevention.

Last update: May 2023