Freshwater - Outlook 2020 (Albania)

The National Water Council and its technical secretariat have created structures for the management and protection of water quality.

Strategies have been adopted for the water supply sector and the sanitation sector for rural and urban areas. Some investments have been made, but more needs to be done first to stop the decline in the quality of surface water and then improve it.

The existing legislation needs to be improved and expanded in order to serve as a basis for management and protection actions.

The institutional structures also need to be reinforced in order to properly implement the legislation. In the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, Albania is in the process of bringing legislation for water in line with EU legislation.
The main sources of water pollution in Albania are urban and industrial wastewater discharges. In order to reduce water pollution from urban wastewater discharges new wastewater treatment plants are under construction in cities including Durres, Tirane Lezhe-Shengjin, Sarande and Korce, with more in the planning stages.

The construction of new treatment plants should improve wastewater management and also the state of water quality. As such, it should have a significant impact on the environment and human health.