Albania to face water quality issues in coming years

The quality of the tap water in Albania is expected to deteriorate in the coming years, Albania's national water council said Monday 21 August in a report. The council named climate change and global warming as factors.

Besides this, the report noted that constant drought may lead to landslides, which could cause water supply pipes to crack and allow for the water to be contaminated. Changes in the quality of water in the future will have a negative impact on ecosystems, human health, credibility, and operating costs of water services, the national water council stressed. Meanwhile, the report said that with sea levels rising, the salt would mix with the groundwater, something which has already started to happen near Lezha and Lac (northwestern Albania). Therefore, experts of the council suggested in the report that the quality of water required immediate attention to prevent significant impact on the health of people, agriculture, ecosystems relating to water and the environment in general.

Albania is rich in water resources as it has a large coastline in the western shore while seven main rivers run from east to west in Albania.