Gostivar water ban lifted after contamination crisis

Gostivar water crisis water contamination North Macedonia public health emergency utility company arrest

Authorities have officially lifted the ban on drinking water in Gostivar, North Macedonia, following satisfactory laboratory results. The Food and Veterinary Agency confirmed that the water is now microbiologically and chemically safe for consumption.

The crisis began after pumps were found to have introduced untreated water into the city's supply, leading to a mass health incident where over 5,000 citizens required medical assistance. In response, the director of the local utility company, Komunalec, and two sector managers were arrested and placed in detention following an investigation into environmental crimes.

While Prime Minister Christian Mickoski stated the water system was fully cleaned in less than four weeks, the opposition party SDSM has criticized the government's handling of the situation. SDSM leaders have demanded the public release of official laboratory documents to guarantee safety, noting that officials appeared to drink the water before formal reports were made available to the public. They also highlighted discrepancies in the timeline of when results were expected versus when the ban was lifted.

Entities

Christian Mickoski · Directorate for Protection and Rescue · Food and Veterinary Agency · Gostivar · Komunalec · Oliver Millanov · SDSM · Stojanche Angelov

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 2 SOURCES] The director of the local utility company and two sector managers were arrested. lajmpress.org · novatv.mk
[● 3 SOURCES] The contamination was caused by pumps introducing untreated water into the system. lajmpress.org · novatv.mk · english.republika.mk
[● 2 SOURCES] The SDSM opposition party claims no official document has been publicly released to confirm water safety. 360stepeni.mk · lokalno.mk
[DISPUTED] The water in Gostivar is now safe for drinking following satisfactory laboratory results. lajmpress.org · lideri.mk · off.net.mk · english.republika.mk · nezavisen.mk
[DISPUTED] Over 5,000 citizens required medical assistance due to contaminated water. lajmpress.org · racin.mk · 360stepeni.mk · lokalno.mk · novatv.mk
[○ 1 SOURCE] Prime Minister Christian Mickoski stated the water system was cleaned in less than four weeks. racin.mk
[● 2 SOURCES] Increased residual chlorine levels were detected during testing. lideri.mk · english.republika.mk
[● 2 SOURCES] The water ban in Gostivar was in effect since July 17. lajmpress.org · novatv.mk