Public Health Institute Raises Alarm Over Ohrid Lake Pollution From Wastewater

The Institute of Public Health (IPH) assesses that many hotels, tourist facilities and settlements along the shores of Lake Ohrid may still be direct or potential sources of pollution. This finding is included in the institution’s latest report on the quality and safety of surface waters for recreational bathing.

Although the collector gathers and treats wastewater from Ohrid and Struga, the report stresses that some developments built in recent years have not been connected to this system. These include hotels and tourist complexes in the area from Hotel “Desaret” to St. Naum, as well as facilities in the area between Struga and the village of Radozhdë.

According to the IPH, private homes in Saraishte, Kaneo, near the Church of “St. Sophia”, along the entire lakeshore, as well as in the villages of Trpejcë, Ljubanishtë and Radozhdë, largely use septic tanks. Some are emptied by municipal utilities, while in Radozhdë, part of the wastewater ends up directly in the lake, causing immediate pollution.

Another pollution risk is posed by stormwater drainage networks, to which wastewater from apartment buildings and private homes has in some cases also been connected. The report also mentions hotel swimming pools and the City Pool as potential sources of pollution.

Problems have also been identified with the local sewage system in St. Naum. Although the system was built in 2013, it is not fully operational, as wastewater is treated only through grinders, without filters or chlorination before being discharged into the lake.

On the other hand, laboratory tests conducted between May 20 and June 24, 2026, show that the water in most of Lake Ohrid meets the standards established by law. According to physicochemical parameters, the water was classified as Class I, except at the measuring point at Grashnicë beach, where Class III was recorded.

In microbiological analyses, most samples received an “Excellent” rating. Meanwhile, water quality at the beach near Hotel “Royal”, in Labino and in the Studençishtë canal was rated “Good”. The sample taken at the Grashnicë measuring point did not meet the microbiological criteria for either the “Excellent” or “Good” category.