Since Sunday, residents of Vlora have been protesting over the lack of drinking water. The city entered its fourth day without supply on Monday, due to a technical problem.
On Monday, dozens of citizens gathered in front of the municipality, where they threw eggs and toilet paper, while the evening before they stormed the "Petro Marko" theater, disrupting the end-of-year event organized by the municipality.
The revolt came as a response to the lack of responsibility and solutions. Under the noise of the cans, they demanded urgent solutions and warned of health risks from the lack of hygiene.
Water was cut off in the city of Vlora after a defect in the main supply line. The defect occurred in the 1-meter wide pipeline that supplies the warehouses. The line was invested in in 2009-2010.
Water and Sewerage teams worked on the ground to fix the damage, but it seems the problem was more serious than initially suspected, requiring more time.
Mayor Brunilda Mersini was also at the site where the works were being carried out. She called the situation "natural disaster" and avoided the debate about responsibilities, although he mentioned the fact that the water supply has been administered by the government and not the municipality for two years.
According to Mersin, the latest tests yielded positive results. The Lungomare area is expected to be supplied with minimal pressure. Meanwhile, the solution for supplying the city has been provided with 15 water tankers, with priority given to institutions.
The division of administrative responsibilities for the city's main services, between the central and local governments, has been an ongoing problem in Vlora.
In 2024, the waste crisis, landfill fire, and flooding increased public discontent and led to the resignation of Mayor Ermal Dredha.
Meanwhile, water supply remains a repeated political promise since 2013.
Prime Minister Edi Rama promised at the time a 24-hour supply as "sign of civilization"In 2021, he guaranteed 100% supply in the third term.
In 2025, during an online discussion, Rama relativized the problem by recalling that even communism did not have 24-hour water. Thus, promises change, but the reality remains the same for citizens.
According to reports According to the Water Regulatory Authority's 2024 annual report, the supply covers 77.2% of the population. The increase is only 1.9% compared to 2023.
The report highlights the impact of the largest water companies, including Tirana, Durres and Vlora. However, the statistics remain far from the promise of a sustainable 24-hour supply.
The crisis in Vlora thus exposed the fragility of the management of the water supply system and the lack of clear responsibilities. While citizens demand not only emergency solutions, but transparency and a long-term plan for a basic service.
Erisa Kryeziu has completed higher studies in Journalism and Communication and Master of Science in Public Relations at the University of Tirana. She has been a journalist and project manager at Citizens.al for five years, where she reports on social issues and human rights, especially on issues of rights at work, in education, gender equality, marginalized groups, people with disabilities such as and for environmental issues. At the same time, she works as a project coordinator with a focus on youth and media education. User of new reporting techniques such as "Mobile Journalism" and citizen engagement tools in reporting (ECR-Engage Citizens Journalism).
