Gostivar’s water utility has informed residents that the water supply will be temporarily cut off throughout the city tomorrow.

According to the announcement, the interruption will begin at 4:00 a.m. and continue until the work is completed.

The interruption is due to essential repairs to faults identified at three different points along the water supply network’s main pipeline. The utility thanked residents for their patience and understanding.

For the past several days, the water in Gostivar has once again been safe to drink, after the spring in the village of Vrutok was contaminated a month ago.

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The water situation in Gostivar is gradually stabilizing, while the presence of bacteria has been reduced considerably. However, the water remains unfit for consumption, and drinking it or using it to prepare food is still prohibited.

Stojanče Angellov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, said the Food and Veterinary Agency is the institution responsible for confirming whether the water is safe to drink.

Angellov said the latest analyses show much better results compared with previous tests and that the situation has improved significantly. According to the director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, more time is still needed before the water can be declared clean and safe for consumption. The Food and Veterinary Agency will make this decision after determining that the water in Gostivar is safe to drink from both a chemical and bacteriological standpoint.

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The situation in Gostivar is gradually returning to normal, while water from the public supply network may be used for technical purposes, the Municipality of Gostivar announced.

The Municipality expressed gratitude to local and central institutions, organizations, friends and all parties involved, praising their readiness and strong commitment.

According to the announcement, crisis management teams at the local and central levels are operating efficiently and in accordance with the plan to address the situation. The responsible authorities are implementing all necessary measures with the aim of fully normalizing the situation and creating safe conditions for residents.

As announced today, tap water in Gostivar is suitable for technical use. At the same time, experts and the relevant teams are working intensively to ensure the supply of drinking water as soon as possible.

The Municipality of Gostivar said it would keep residents regularly and transparently informed of any new developments, as well as recommendations from the relevant institutions.

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Following the water contamination case in Gostivar, concerns about supply safety have spread to other cities in the country.

Authorities in Valandovo have banned citizens from drinking tap water, after tests by the Institute of Public Health found a higher concentration of arsenic.

The municipal utility announced that the water can only be used for technical purposes, while additional inspections and analyses will continue until its purity is confirmed.

According to specialists, the recorded arsenic amount does not pose an immediate health risk if exposure is short-term, but prolonged ingestion may have harmful effects.

In Debarca, residents have raised concerns about suspected sewage discharge into the Sateska River and are demanding institutional intervention with on-site inspections. Likewise, in Prilep, after photos of murky water were posted on social media, citizens have requested additional tests.

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The Municipality of Gostivar announced that teams from the central and local Crisis Management Headquarters, together with the public enterprise “Water Supply and Sewerage – Skopje,” are working intensively on the ground to restore the water supply system to normal.

Citizens are urged to obtain information about the progress of the process only from official announcements issued by the relevant institutions and to avoid spreading or relying on false information circulating on social media.

According to the Municipality of Gostivar, the public will be promptly informed of any new developments, including analyses and results regarding water quality, as well as the situation in the water supply system.

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The Minister of Health, Sasho Klekovski, emphasized that water supply in Gostivar will be authorized for use exclusively when its purity is confirmed beyond any doubt.

Referring to technical capacities, Klekovski assured that institutions have the necessary instruments to identify the presence of viruses or bacteria in patients who have presented for treatment.

He appealed for opportunistic speculations to be avoided during this health crisis, noting that there are doctors, who are not specialists in epidemiology or infectious diseases, who are sharing personal opinions and suggestions. The minister acknowledged that such topics are tempting for gaining attention on social media, but he urged citizens to rely exclusively on the advice and announcements from official communication channels.

He explained that continuous monitoring of the situation also includes the Infectious Diseases Clinic, which possesses the widest range of analyses to test a broad spectrum of bacteria and viruses.

“Consequently, no type of virus remains undetected. The reuse of water will become a reality only at the moment of absolute safety,” he declared. In the analyses so far, according to the minister, no pathogens have been found that would change the manner of symptom onset after initial exposure.

Minister Klekovski pointed out that, based on preliminary results, it concerns viruses and bacteria that give an acute clinical picture, manifesting immediately with gastrointestinal disorders and high fever, just as observed in those affected.

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According to VMRO-DPMNE, Valbon Limani, who is running with the support of Filipçe, Ahmeti and Taravari, has shown that he prioritizes protecting his position over the interests of citizens. In a party statement, it is said that instead of coming out publicly and taking the main burden as the head of the municipality for the situation created in Gostivar, he chose to distance himself from the scandal by dismissing any kind of moral responsibility.

VMRO-DPMNE emphasizes that citizens do not expect justifications when such a serious problem affects the entire city, but demand accountability. They pose the rhetorical question: if the mayor does not bear responsibility for the actions of individuals he himself appointed to head public enterprises, then who should bear it?

Also, the ruling party describes as disturbing the silence of SDSM, DUI and Taravari. According to them, these political forces, instead of holding their candidate accountable, preferred to remain silent, thus showing that standards change and principles fade when their own officials are involved.

VMRO-DPMNE underscores that no one should escape responsibility, whether political or institutional, and appeals to the competent bodies to fully investigate the case, without selectivity and without political calculations.

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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.

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Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Muamet Hoxha spoke at a government press conference today about the water situation in the city of Gostivar.

According to him, the contamination of the water supply network constitutes a serious incident that has directly endangered the health of thousands of residents.

Hoxha said he expects all the facts and circumstances surrounding the case to be fully established, as well as criminal and moral responsibility to be determined.

He stressed that municipalities and municipal public enterprises are responsible for supplying drinking water, maintaining water supply systems, and collecting and treating wastewater. Hoxha added that local authorities bear primary responsibility for the safe operation of these systems and for establishing and protecting sanitary protection zones around the water source.

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The director of the Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA), Oliver Millanov, said today that the ban on using water from Gostivar’s water supply system for drinking and food preparation will remain in force until laboratory analyses prove that it is safe. He stressed that the situation is being closely monitored and that the necessary legal measures are being taken to fully clarify the case, identify and eliminate the causes that led to the situation and endangered citizens’ health. According to him, every part of the procedure will be investigated.

At a press conference held at the government building, Millanov announced that inspection services were continuing their checks today at food operators in the Gostivar region. He explained that the emergency measures and intensified monitoring aim to accurately determine the source, degree and extent of the contamination, as well as to secure new and relevant laboratory results. All further actions regarding the case will be decided on the basis of these results.

Millanov said that the FVA is paying particular attention to monitoring the quality of drinking water in the Municipality of Gostivar. After receiving initial information about a possible risk to public health, the Agency’s inspection services carried out an extraordinary inspection of the water supply system in the village of Vrutok, Municipality of Gostivar. The action followed a notification from the public prosecutor at the Gostivar Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and a report by the Gostivar Interior Ministry concerning a possible threat to the safety of drinking water in Gostivar’s water supply system.

In accordance with its legal powers and established protocols, the inspection was conducted on July 16, late in the evening. Representatives of the Ministry of Environment, the Gostivar Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Interior Ministry’s criminalistics department also took part.

During the inspection, according to the director, it was discovered that pumps had been illegally installed without authorization on the main pipeline of the water supply network, through which water from the Vardar River was being injected directly into the system.

To determine whether the water was safe, experts from the Institute of Public Health collected four samples for laboratory analysis. The samples were taken from the reservoir, the water source, surface water and a public tap at a mosque.

Millanov announced that the FVA immediately imposed a temporary ban on the use of drinking water in order to prevent a greater risk to residents of the region. During the previous day, the activities expanded significantly, and inspectors from the Food and Veterinary Agency collected additional samples throughout the water supply system. The inspections included public institutions, kindergartens, catering establishments and other entities that use this water for drinking or food preparation.

He warned that, within its legal powers, the Agency would take all necessary measures against any entity where shortcomings or non-compliance with legally prescribed obligations are identified.

The director called on citizens, until the final laboratory results are received and the situation is fully normalized, to consistently follow the recommendations of the competent health institutions and local authorities regarding the use of drinking water.

Millanov added that the FVA is responsible for collecting official water samples, while their analysis is carried out by the Institute of Public Health. This institution must officially submit the results to the Food and Veterinary Agency.

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