Gostivar Water Contamination, Prosecutor’s Office: Komunalec Pumps Fed Contaminated Water into Main Supply Network

The Gostivar Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office announced this evening that it had issued an order to open an investigation into three people. They are suspected of serious crimes against the environment and nature, committed through actions that caused the contamination of drinking water.

The three suspects, who held the positions of Acting Director of the Komunalec Public Enterprise in Gostivar, Technical Manager of the Technical Operations Sector, and Head of the Water Supply, Sewerage and Construction Department at the public enterprise, are suspected of acting together. As a result of their actions, the drinking water in the discharge chamber of the system supplying the Municipality of Gostivar and several surrounding villages was contaminated with harmful substances and rendered unusable.

On June 25, the suspects ordered the enterprise’s employees to install three submersible pumps in a surface-water channel near the drinking-water discharge chamber. The water in the channel contained harmful substances, while the pumps were installed to test the water pressure.

During an on-site inspection conducted on July 16, it was found that two of the submersible pumps were still in use. Through pressure pipes running through the discharge opening, they transported water containing harmful substances and coliform bacteria from the open channel into the chamber holding water from the drinking-water system, which had a specified quality and circulated within a closed system.

This caused the systems to mix, allowing contaminated water from the channel to enter the main water supply pipeline.

Following an order from the public prosecutor, the Institute of Public Health analyzed surface-water samples taken from the open channel. The results showed that the water was heavily polluted and unsuitable for any use, as it contained coliform bacteria at a level of 2419.6 cfu/100 ml, while the maximum permitted limit is 50 cfu/100 ml.

Samples obtained from a capped spring also showed an increased number of aerobic mesophilic bacterial colonies and the presence of coliform bacteria. According to the reference values, the level should be 0 cfu/100 ml, but 39 cfu/100 ml was recorded in the water analyzed. Because of the high level of contamination, the water was rendered unusable and is not considered safe for human use or consumption.

A sample taken from a tap on JNA Street in Gostivar was also analyzed. A high chlorine level was detected, with a residual chlorine concentration of 1.1 mg/l. This exceeds the maximum limit set by the regulations in force, under which the level should range from 0.2 to 0.3 mg/l and must under no circumstances exceed 0.5 mg/l.

After assessing that the consequences of the contamination could not be easily remedied, the public prosecutor concluded that there were grounds for reasonable suspicion that the aforementioned criminal offense had been committed.

The Gostivar Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office is continuing its investigation to fully clarify the incident. The three suspects have been detained, while tomorrow the public prosecutor will decide whether to propose precautionary measures to the Court and what those measures will be./Telegrafi/