TIRANA, Feb. 7 – Albania’s second largest city of Durres went four days without water this week as water main pipe burst near a pumping station, officials told local media.
A 40-year-old pipe burst and the repairs have been difficult, Gerald Dautaj, an official with the local water supply company told Ora News television.
“There was an increase in pressure which has caused cracking of the pipe near the pumping station at Fushe Kuqe and we to shut off the water supply,” he said. “The repairs have been difficult.”
This the latest outage in a series, including one that left the entire Durres Beach without water in the middle of the tourist season last year, leading to criticism of the municipality which owns the water supply company.
The local Socialist-led government in Durres has come under repeated criticism from the opposition Democratic Party for investing millions into grandiose urban beautification projects while the basic infrastructure of the city and its surroundings is crumbling.
