Gostivar water contamination leads to health alerts and ongoing tests

Gostivar water contamination Sasho Klekovski health alerts drinking ban

Over the past two weeks, 4,374 residents of Gostivar have sought medical assistance due to water‑related health problems, with 73 patients reported on 29 July alone and four of them hospitalized. The municipal water supply remains unsafe for drinking or cooking; authorities have limited its use to cleaning and other non‑food purposes.

Health officials are conducting daily laboratory analyses, collecting samples from at least nine different locations. Minister of Health Sasho Klekovski said the ban on drinking water will be lifted only after three consecutive negative test results are obtained. He added that “the water can now be used for other purposes, but it is still not suitable for drinking or fresh‑food preparation.”

Prime Minister Dimitar Mickoski reported that a newly identified bacterium has appeared in the pipes after a long period of inactivity and recent hyper‑chlorination. The contamination was linked to the release of three pumps from an external channel, prompting the arrest of the director of the Gostivar municipal water company and two of her associates.

Entities

Agency for Food and Veterinary · Dimitar Mickoski · General Hospital “Dr. Ferid Murad” · Gostivar · Gostivar municipal water company · Ministry of Health (North Macedonia) · Sasho Klekovski · municipal water supply

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] Water in Gostivar is not safe for drinking or cooking, but can be used for cleaning. lajmpress.org · tv21.tv
[● 2 SOURCES] 4,374 patients sought medical help in Gostivar over the past two weeks. lajmpress.org · tv21.tv
[● 2 SOURCES] Contamination occurred after three pumps were released from an external channel into the Gostivar water system. lajmpress.org · tv21.tv
[● 2 SOURCES] The director of the Gostivar municipal water company and two collaborators were arrested in connection with the contamination. lajmpress.org · tv21.tv
[● 4 SOURCES] Daily water samples are taken from at least nine locations; three consecutive negative results are required to lift the drinking ban. lider.mk · denesen.mk · press24.mk · nezavisen.mk
[● 2 SOURCES] On 29 July, 73 patients sought medical help in Gostivar, with four hospitalized. lajmpress.org · tv21.tv
[● 2 SOURCES] Prime Minister Dimitar Mickoski said a new bacterium appeared in the pipes after long inactivity and hyper‑chlorination. lajmpress.org · tv21.tv
[● 3 SOURCES] Health Minister Sasho Klekovski said the water can be used for other purposes but not for drinking until tests pass. lajmpress.org · lider.mk · denesen.mk