Switzerland invests another 7 million francs in the drinking water sector

In this case, Finance Minister Bedri Hamza has thanked Swiss citizens for their taxes helping Kosovo citizens get access to water and drink water.

Hamza added that investments will be expanded even in municipalities such as Zubin Potoku, Zvecani and Leposaviqi, which means that Kosovo with the support of its friends invests in Kosovo's entire territory in improving the lives of all its citizens.

There are many needs, there are many priorities in our country, but Swiss taxpayers' investments in Kosovo are at top priorities. There is no more priority than to improve the water supply of Kosovo citizens, which directly affects raising their standards and maintaining the health of Kosovo citizens. So far the Swiss state has invested 38 million francs. Today, the agreement we signed is also 7 million franc investments in this sector, which will improve, expand and increase the percentage of the population that are linked to the” water supply network, Hamza said.

Hamza suggested that from the beginning of this mandate as minister to this day, he has brought over 80m euros in grants to the water sector.

While Switzerland's ambassador to Kosovo, Jean Hubert Lebet, stressed that this phase will mark the final phase of the water programme in rural areas. He added that with its completion scheduled in 2020, there will be over 90 percent of population coverage with a regular water supply.

“We have managed to do something very good and to get 90 percent of households to be supplied with drinking water. I want to thank the Government of Kosovo and the Ministry of Finance for your contribution to this phase of the project. Now we see that you're taking this whole sector over you and that we will co-operate together in order to implement this project. The idea is to have stability in this sector, the water sector. For these years we have supported you but now you have to take on these obligations and do it yourself and I am convinced that you are able to do this”, Lebet said.

Present at the signing of this agreement was Minister of Economic Development Valdrin Luka, who said this project is of great importance because it regulates the infrastructure and is offered what Government intends, the 100 percent coverage of drinking water citizens.

The purpose of this project is to introduce all villages with regional water systems to provide safe drinking water for all those residents. And with the completion of this project, we will have over 91 percent of Kosovo's population in the regional water supply system, a controlled water, with regular supplies and such”, Luka said.

This programme has been developed in several other phases where it is invested in different areas of Kosovo.