Albania faces a water distribution problem, not a water production problem. Studies indicate that available sources
of supply could provide more than enough to satisfy the country’s overall water demand. In many cities, water
availability at the source is about 500-700 litres per capita per day, but leaks and waste mean that only a small
fraction of water produced is consumed. Almost everywhere problems of water scarcity can be considerably
mitigated through metering, leakage detection and reduction, network improvements, disconnection of illegal
connections, and optimization of storage and supply patterns. The distribution problem also has a seasonal aspect:
much more water is needed during the summer growing season; when rainfall is scarce, rural drinking water is often
misused for irrigation; and the tourist resort areas use large amounts of water.
The main issues handled out in this presentation are: strengthening local government leadership and initiative;
partnership between municipalities and NGOs; concluding all of these in the community-based approaches to
infrastructure services and neighbourhood revitalization.