US$27.4 million funding from World Bank for FLOWS Water Security Program in Kosovo

The World Bank’s Board has approved financial support of US$27.4 million in support of the Kosovo Fostering and Leveraging Opportunities for Water Security Program (FLOWS). The key target of the project is to strengthen Kosovo’s capacity for managing water security at the national level, and improve water security in Morava e Binces basin ( aka Mirusha), Kosovo’s driest region.

Marco Mantovanelli, World Bank Country Manager for Kosovo and North Macedonia said:

“The World Bank is supporting Kosovo to address the national water crisis and specifically water shortage in the Morava basin area. Beside the important development benefits from an improved supply and strengthened management of water resources in Kosovo, availability of water and sanitation are an essential barrier to preventing virus spread and protecting human health from COVID-19 and similar diseases.”

Marco Mantovanelli  also commented:

“Handwashing in the Morava basin is not to be taken for granted as last year there were over 200 days with interrupted water supply.”

Primarily, apart from existing benefits, the main goal of the program is to alter the hazardous water security situation in Kosovo. In comparison with other regions Kosovo is water stressed, has highly polluted resources, and has among the lowest levels of water storage. Kosovo has water security issues also due to poor management of available resources which is apart from the existing physical water stress.

The broadening gap between growing water demand and available quantities of good quality water is leading to water shortages and interruptions in water supply and irrigation services. Also, due to climate change drought and flood shocks are expected to become more frequent.

The project will lay the basis for future strategic storage development and management, improved knowledge of water in the country to deal with droughts, floods, and improve services including the management of dam safety for downstream communities.

The FLOWS program for the project will significantly invest in upgrading water supply services in the area managed by Hidromorava water supply company. It will also finance the technical, social, and environmental studies to allow a detailed appraisal of a potential follow up investment to expand water storage capacity in the ‘Kike-Kremenata’ hydro-system in the region.

Approximately 190,000 people residing in the Morava e Binces basin, southeastern Kosovo, will directly benefit through access to the improved water services.

The FLOWS project is financed with a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group.