Rehabilitation of Part of the Iber-Lepenc Canal Completed, Kurti Calls It a Key Investment in Water Security

The completion of rehabilitation work on a section of the Iber-Lepenc Canal has been inaugurated in Zubin Potok. According to the institutions, the project was carried out to enhance water security and protect the Republic of Kosovo’s critical infrastructure. Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Acting Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli attended the inauguration ceremony, where they emphasized the importance of the investment for water supply, energy production and the country’s overall security.

Kurti described the project as a strategic investment that directly contributes to protecting the canal and ensuring water security. He said the section near where the ceremony was held is no longer visible because it has been rehabilitated and, at the request of residents, covered to improve safety for everyone.

According to the acting prime minister, the canal has been vital infrastructure for the Republic of Kosovo since it was built in the 1980s. It begins in this municipality and stretches 49 kilometers to Pristina, supplying water to power plants that generate up to 90 percent of the country’s energy, agricultural land in the Kosovo Plain, and drinking water plants that serve nine municipalities with more than 500,000 residents.

Kurti stressed that protecting the canal cannot be treated solely as a local or technical issue. According to him, safeguarding this infrastructure means protecting the Republic every day, as well as the electricity in homes, water from the tap, economic production and the bread provided by the fields.

The project is valued at 18 million euros. Through this investment, 37 major sections along the canal’s 49-kilometer route have been rehabilitated, while a balancing reservoir with a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters has also been built. The reservoir can be used for emergency supplies to power plants or water utilities when necessary.

According to Kurti, the project demonstrates that the Republic of Kosovo does not merely respond to risks, but also builds the capacity to prevent them and ensure that services continue without interruption and at the required standard. He explained that the inauguration was held in this particular area because the canal once posed a risk to residents, whereas today the Iber-Lepenc enterprise invests in infrastructure, employs citizens and fulfills its mission to the state.

Acting Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli described the project as particularly important for the security of the canal and the water security of the Republic of Kosovo. She recalled that the previous visit to the site had taken place approximately one year earlier, when work on this section began. At the time, less than six months had passed since the rehabilitation of the canal section that was targeted in a terrorist attack had been completed.

Rizvanolli said that incident demonstrated in the clearest possible way the vital importance of Ujman to the country’s security. According to her, Ujman is essential to the water supply and water reserves, as it contains two-thirds of the Republic of Kosovo’s total reserves and enables water to be supplied to around 500,000 residents.

She stressed that the state, state institutions and public enterprises should not act only after attacks occur. According to Rizvanolli, regular and proper maintenance of critical infrastructure is equally important for ensuring security.

The acting minister said the project had delivered three main results. The canal has been rehabilitated and restored to its original capacity, water quality has improved, and the monitoring and management of this entire critical infrastructure system have been modernized.

As the first result, Rizvanolli cited the complete rehabilitation of 10 kilometers of the canal. She explained that the damaged sections had been lined with new reinforced concrete, while sections with structural damage and active leaks had been repaired.