Second Environmental Performance Review of Albania

Chapter 6: Sustainable management of water resources91MinistryMinistry of InteriorMinistry of FinanceMinistry of HealthTable 6.1: Sphere of competency in water management of ministries, members of theNational Water CouncilMinistry of Economy, Trade and EnergyMinistry of Public Works, Transportation andTelecommunications with its General Directorate for WaterSupply and SanitationMinistry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer ProtectionSource: Ministry of Environment, Forests and Water Administration, 2011.Sphere of competency in water managementDelegates territorial competences and acts as a bridge betweenlocal and central governmentDistributes financial resources for the water sector as well asgiving priority to appropriate water resources management formeeting the needs of societyIs involved in the implementation of water sector legislationthrough its State Sanitary Inspectorate. This inspectorate isresponsible for setting the drinking water standards, for ensuringcompliance with these and for monitoring of drinking waterqualityHydropower plantsWater supply, wastewater collection and treatment and floodmanagementIrrigation and drainage activities in the agricultural sectorFigure 6.4: Organizational chart of the institutional framework in water resources managementPrime MinisterLegend:MinistryInstitutes doingmonitoring for EFAMinistriesNational WaterCouncil (NWC)National levelLocal levelMinistry ofAgricultureGDWS & S (housedat MoPWTT)GDWA (housed atMoEFWA)Environment and ForestAgency (EFA)Drainage boards (13)Water utilities /enterprises (54)River basincouncils (6)Institute of Public HealthInst. of Water, Energy & EnvironmentLocal GovernmentUnitsRiver basinagencies (6)Geological Service of AlbaniaRegional environmentagencies (12)Source: Ministry of Environment, Forests and Water Administration, 2012.Communes and municipalitiesIn the framework of the ongoing decentralizationprocess which began in 2000, responsibilities forwater provision and sewerage were delegated toLGUs under the 2000 Law on Organization andFunctioning of Local Governments, No. 8652.The transfer of service ownership to water utilities orenterprises began after the inventory and registrationof the water supply system and sewerage had beencompleted. By 2005, 136 of 360 sewerage systemshad been transferred to LGUs, which indicates slowprogress compared with the 90 per cent rate oftransfer of water supply systems. The provision ofwater supply is in the hands of 58 water utilities orenterprises; 30 of them are also responsible forwastewater services, mostly limited to collectionwastewater only. In urban areas this service isperformed by LGUs as a public service, while inrural areas it does not exist.