Scandal in Gostivar: Director in court with bottled water, citizens drank feces
Top officials of Gostivar's utility company face justice after pumping toxic surface water into the city's water supply for weeks.
The scandal involving contaminated drinking water in Gostivar is reaching a judicial resolution. Artana Asani, who manages the public utility company "Komunalec", was brought before the Basic Court today. She symbolically held a bottle of clean water in her hands, while the prosecution accused her of allowing thousands of citizens to consume liquid contaminated with feces for days. This move caused additional outrage among the public, who had feared for their health for weeks.
Along with her, two other responsible persons from the enterprise appeared before a pre-trial judge. These are the technical manager and the head of the department for water supply, sewerage, and construction works. The three are suspected of serious crimes related to endangering the environment and deliberately polluting the city's water supply network.
Investigative authorities reveal shocking details about how the problem occurred. Towards the end of June, specifically on the 25th, the management ordered the installation of three submersible pumps in a channel full of harmful substances, located right next to the overflow chamber. Although the initial purpose was only to test the pressure in the system, these devices were left to operate without any supervision. During the inspection conducted on July 16, inspectors found two of them still actively transferring dirty water directly into the drinking pipes.
Official laboratory findings from the Institute of Public Health only confirmed the citizens' fears. The results showed an extreme presence of pollutants in the surface channel, but also in the spring itself and throughout the entire distribution network. This water has been categorized as completely unusable for any purpose, posing a serious threat to public health.
Currently, the court's decision is awaited regarding the possible determination of precautionary measures or detention for the suspected managers. The Gostivar prosecutor's office announced that the investigation does not stop here and that they will continue to collect additional evidence to fully clarify this environmental incident.
