Gostivar: Pipes Operated for 22 Days as Tests Revealed Severe Water Contamination

The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Gostivar has established that the pipes through which contaminated surface water is suspected of having been discharged into the city’s water supply network were used for 22 days, from June 25 to July 16.

The director of the Gostivar “Komunalec” public utility company, the technical head of the Technical Affairs Sector, and the head of the Water Supply, Sewerage and Construction Department have been placed under investigation. They are suspected of the criminal offense of “Serious crimes against the environment and nature caused by acts of drinking water pollution.”

According to information from the Prosecutor’s Office, on June 25, the suspects instructed employees to install three submersible pumps in a surface water channel near the overflow chamber of the water supply system. Pressure testing was cited as the reason for installing them.

An inspection carried out on July 16 found that two of the pumps were still operating. Through pipes, they were pumping water from the channel into the drinking water chamber, causing the contaminated water to mix with water in the supply network.

Laboratory results from the Institute of Public Health revealed extreme exceedances of the permitted limits. The surface water samples contained 2,419.6 cfu/100 ml of coliform bacteria, while the maximum acceptable level is 50 cfu/100 ml. As a result, the water was classified as highly contaminated and unsuitable for any use.

Irregularities were also found in samples taken from the main source. They contained 39 cfu/100 ml of coliform bacteria, even though standards require the presence of these bacteria to be zero. At the same time, an increase in the number of aerobic mesophilic bacterial colonies was also detected.

A sample taken from a tap on JNA Street in Gostivar also showed a significantly elevated level of residual chlorine. The concentration was 1.1 mg/l, more than double the maximum limit of 0.5 mg/l and far above the recommended range of 0.2 to 0.3 mg/l.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the contamination caused consequences that cannot be easily remedied, prompting the launch of the investigation. All three suspects have been detained, while the public prosecutor will decide during the day which measures to propose to the court.