Albania - urban and rural water and sanitation reforms

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Even today, 40 percent of Albanian households lack basic education, heat, and sanitation; fewer than 50 percent in both rural and urban areas have access to safe and clean drinking water. Yet Albania is blessed with an abundant supply of water resources. Precipitation throughout the country is high. Groundwater is plentiful and of excellent quality, requiring little or no treatment beyond for chlorination. Except in Tirana, where about half of the water supply is treated surface water, the country relies entirely on groundwater for drinking. Over the last decade Albania has dramatically improved its dilapidated water supply, irrigation, and sanitation facilities through an approach that focuses on the empowerment of local governments; involvement of the private sector in delivering urban services; and use of community-centered approaches for sustainable rural services. The World Bank initiated long-term support for Albania's water projects in 1994. The challenges were to reform, repair, and rebuild the water supply sector; to extend access to good water to the poor in urban and rural areas; and to begin to treat wastewater and sewage. Preliminary results show steady progress.