Water Poisoning in Gostivar: SDSM Accuses Institutions of Cover-up and Negligence

According to SDSM, the poisoning incident in Gostivar reveals a dangerous and utterly unacceptable precedent. They emphasize that the Prosecutor’s Office and relevant institutions prioritized bureaucratic procedures and the so-called “investigative secrecy” over the population’s constitutional right to a safe environment and health.

The end result is a large-scale poisoning with more than 3,100 documented cases. SDSM stresses that all individuals who contributed to covering up water quality data, and subsequently to hiding evidence, along with those who had signs of water contamination and did nothing to protect the health of Gostivar’s residents, must face not only moral but also criminal consequences.

The water contamination originated on June 25th. Instead of immediate intervention, health and inspection authorities maintained silence for weeks, exposing citizens to water contaminated with fecal matter. What makes the situation even more alarming is the fact that, even though they knew about the contamination, the institutions publicly declared the water safe just days before the investigation began.

The investigation was not initiated by health bodies; the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office was forced to act following received information. This fact alone testifies to a complete institutional breakdown. However, the most serious issue concerns the Prosecutor’s Office’s stance. Their insistence on using “investigative secrecy” as a justification for not protecting public health constitutes a dangerous inversion of arguments.

The quality of drinking water cannot be considered an investigative secret, underlines SDSM. It is an essential public health datum that must be communicated to citizens without any delay. Imposing a ban on water consumption due to microbiological irregularities would not have harmed the investigative process at all. On the contrary, the Public Health Office showed tact, while health authorities remained silent, paving the way for the epidemic’s spread.