Photo: ADF
The Albanian Development Fund (ADF) has started the implementation of the EUR 39.3 million Rural Water Supply Program (RWSP) III in a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Rrajca water supply scheme.
The program aims to solve the problem of water supply for 85,000 rural residents in 15 municipalities in the country, the ADF said on its website, adding that by the end of the program in 2021, 18 water schemes will be constructed in 83 villages all over Albania.
Around EUR 39.3 million is co-financed by the German Government through KfW, the European Union, the Albanian Government and the Prrenjas Municipality.
LOT I of the RWSP III foresees investments in the villages of Kovanik, Bardhaj, Skenderbej, Sutaj, Rrajce e siperme, Rrajce e poshtme and Bogdan, in the amount of EUR 8.6 million and will focus on the construction of two spring captures, the extension of around 23 km of transmission mains, the construction of 6 new water reservoirs, the construction of around 1,600 house connections as well as around 1,600 household water meters.
According to the ADF, this program is one of the most serious initiatives in recent years to improve potable water supply in rural areas of Albania.
Building on the previous RWSP Programs I&II, which were successfully implemented in cooperation with the ADF, the intervention aims to set high standards in the construction of water schemes, sustainability of the schemes for the next 30 years, cost-efficient production of energy and low-cost maintenance.
The German Government through KfW has provided a EUR 24 million loan for investments in rural water supply infrastructure and a EUR 2 million grant for associated technical assistance measures. The EU has secured a EUR 10 million grant.
Through the Western Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF), the EU has provided an additional EUR 750,000 for preparatory studies.
The groundbreaking ceremony in Rrajca was attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku, EU Ambassador to Albania Luigi Soreca, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Albania Susanne Schutz, KfW Division Chief for Municipal Infrastructure for South-east Europe and Turkey Kirk Mildner, and Executive Director of Albanian Development Fund Dritan Agolli.
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