For four days, residents of one of the capital’s most densely populated areas, along Elbasani Road and “Pjetër Budi” street, in Administrative Unit No. 2, have been facing a lack of drinking water. According to residents’ complaints, the situation has continued without any concrete intervention from Tirana Water and Sewerage Utility (UKT).
Four days without water, four days without a solution and, according to residents, no work crew on the ground to restore the supply.
The lack of water has significantly disrupted the daily lives of families, forcing residents to seek alternatives for the most basic needs, from personal hygiene to cooking and cleaning their homes.
The situation is even more concerning because this is not a peripheral or isolated area, but one of the most populated parts of Tirana, just a few minutes from the capital’s center.
Residents organize, criminal complaint for abuse of office being prepared
Faced with the lack of a solution, residents of the area have decided to organize by forming a representative group that is preparing a criminal complaint for the offense of abuse of office against UKT’s general director, Flauers Shoshi.
According to residents, the failure to take measures to restore the water supply, despite the length of the outage, raises serious questions about whether the responsible institution is fulfilling its obligations.
The complaint being prepared aims to ask the justice authorities to verify whether the alleged inaction of the responsible structures constitutes a breach of legal obligations and whether there are elements of the criminal offense of abuse of office.
However, criminal liability does not arise automatically from an interruption in water supply, but requires verification of specific actions or omissions and of the conditions provided for by law.
Flauers Shoshi, from leading the national agency to UKT
Heading Tirana Water and Sewerage Utility since January 2026 is Flauers Shoshi, who replaced former director Skerdi Drenova.
Before taking on this role, Shoshi led the National Agency for Water Supply and Sewerage, an institution with responsibilities in the water supply and sewerage sector at the national level.
It is precisely his experience in this sector that places the current head of UKT under scrutiny over the management of the situation and the measures taken to resolve the problem.
How is it possible for an entire area of the capital to remain without water for four days when, according to residents’ complaints, no work crew has been sent to intervene?
UKT must provide explanations
Beyond individual responsibilities, the interruption of water supply for four days raises concerns about the functioning of a vital public service for which citizens pay regularly.
Residents are demanding not only the immediate restoration of supply, but also transparency about the causes of the interruption, the measures taken and the timeline for a solution.
UKT should publicly clarify whether this is a technical fault, a problem in the distribution network or another cause, and should also disclose what actions have been taken during these four days.
As of the time this article was prepared, there has been no confirmed official reaction from UKT regarding the residents’ specific claims.
Drinking water is not a privilege, nor a favor that the institution does for citizens. It is a basic service, for which there is a legal and institutional obligation.
As residents of Elbasani Road and “Pjetër Budi” street prepare to turn to the justice system, the question remains: when will the water supply be restored and who will be held accountable for the four days of interruption?