One of the promises that have been persistently delayed in Albania is the 24-hour water supply. This is the case in Himara as well, where since 2015; the Mayor Jorgo Goro promised residents that he would bring an end to the legend of potable water. Verification by Faktoje revealed that, at best, the legend comes to an end in July 2024, and the realization, in fact, relies on government funds rather than municipal resources. This is the typical case where mayoral candidates promote grand promises (with government funds) in exchange for votes.
Jona Plumbi
In this year’s electoral campaign for the local elections on May 14th, the residents of Himara once again heard promises of uninterrupted 24-hour potable water from the socialist candidate for Mayor, Jorgo Goro, who had just concluded his second term in office.
‘As we speak, the big water supply project for Himara is in progress, covering not just the city, but also it’s surrounding villages. This will address the water problem for approximately 40 thousand residents, ensuring 24-hour access to drinking water.’ declared Jorgo Goro on April 26th.
The citizens’ votes did not elect Jorgo Goro for a third term in Himara. However, the detention of the winning candidate, Fredi Beleri, and the prevention of him taking office and delegating it to a substitute, resulted in the defeated candidate, Jorgo Goro, assuming the mayoral position.
Considering this fact, we reached out to Himara Municipality to inquire about the actions it is taking to fulfill its historic commitment of providing 24-hour potable water.
Himara Municipality informed us in its response that only 40% of project works have been carried out until now. ‘The implementing company is Akelik Group from Azerbaijan. The total value of the contract, not only for the Himara city, but also for other centers within this municipality where similar works are being carried out, is 14,921,466 Euros. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of June 2024.’ – stated Himara Municipality to Faktoje.
The specified tender was announced in October 2021, and the contract was finalized in April 2022, with a completion period of 20 months and an additional 12 months allocated for identifying potential defects. The promise for 24-hour of drinking water in Himara was initially made by the two-term Mayor in 2015.
*The 2015 promise made by the socialist candidate Jorgo Goro ahead of the local elections in July.
Through on-site verification, we have confirmed that the water supply infrastructure works in Himara are progressing.
Along Vlora River road and in various villages of Himara, the works for extending the pipeline are evident, which is expected to supply water to the coastal city.
The project board shows that it is a co-financing between the central government and KFW, indicating that this is a major project. Similar to many other cases, it has been promoted as a promise by the candidate for local leadership to attract voters in exchange for their mayoral votes.
*The pipelines of the water supply works in Himara, seen from Vlora River road.
*Extension of pipelines in Pilur village area
Himara residents are currently using containers or reservoirs to get the water.
This was shared with us by Mrs. Fotine, who lives in an apartment building in Himara.
‘There is water in Himara, but it’s salty,‘ says Mrs. Fotine, explaining that the salt corrodes the pipes and reservoirs, which need constant replacement.
‘We look forward to seeing what the new water supply system, which takes water from Kuçi and brings it to Himara, will bring us‘ says the hopeful lady.
Taking into account the public tender data, official information provided by Himara Municipality, and the on-site verification, the promose to the new water supply system in Himara can be considered partially fulfilled at this point.
*Faktoje, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), is actively monitoring 10 municipalities nationwide, verifying the fulfillment of promises made by Mayors.
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