A heavy downpour was enough to leave several streets in Pogradec underwater, reviving questions over how the city’s urban drainage system is functioning. The situation was reported shortly after works were inaugurated in the “Naim Frashëri” neighborhood, where the rainfall appears to have quickly brought unresolved problems to the surface.
Streets were covered by water after intense rainfall
Heavy rain in Pogradec caused water to cover the city’s streets in a short period of time.
Images and reports from the ground show that a brief spell of severe weather was enough to disrupt traffic and expose weaknesses in the drainage infrastructure.
Problems surfaced in the “Naim Frashëri” neighborhood
According to reporting from the scene, the situation was noticed only a short time after the inauguration of works in the “Naim Frashëri” neighborhood in Pogradec.
This further strengthens suspicions that the works carried out either did not properly address the drainage network, or that the system is unable to cope with heavy rainfall even when it lasts only a few minutes.
Drains were blocked, water surged into the streets
In the museum neighborhood area, drains became blocked and water rose to the surface, pouring into the streets.
The blockage of the drainage network remains the main factor explaining the rapid flooding of urban roads, a known problem in many cities, but one that in this case appeared immediately after the newly inaugurated works.
Heavy rainfall also in other southern cities
In addition to Pogradec, heavy rainfall was also recorded in Delvinë, Gjirokastër, Ksamil and Sarandë.
At this stage, the reported information is focused on the problems caused by the rainfall and their impact on the streets of the affected cities.
The Pogradec case once again raises the basic question of the standard of public works and the real test they undergo as soon as they face the first serious rainfall.
When streets flood after just a few minutes of rain, the problem can hardly be reduced to the weather alone.