Struga Restaurants Force Bottled Water Sales Amid Tap Water Ban

Residents of Struga have lodged complaints that several cafés and restaurants are refusing to serve tap water, offering only bottled water after a recent prohibition on using tap water for drinking. Customers report being told they must purchase bottled water, which costs between 70 and 100 denars per bottle, a practice they say is intended to boost the establishments' profits.

Jovanço Meçkaroski, director of Struga’s Water Supply and Sewerage Company, says the incidents are isolated cases along the coast. He emphasizes that the city’s water, sourced from local rivers and lakes, is of high quality and is tested twice a week. The water‑supply office receives daily complaints from locals and visitors about the lack of tap‑water service in some venues.