Tetovo, 17 July 2019

The location intended for the wastewater treatment plant in Tetovo is being cleaned

Around 170,000 cubic meters of waste are being excavated at a location near the village of Fališe in Tetovo and are being transported at Drisla as part of the field preparations that will see the start of construction of a wastewater treatment plant that will overcome the pollution from industrial and communal water in the region. The excavation, the waste disposal and the field preparation in Falishe are financed by the Government and the Municipality of Tetovo with 2.3 million Euros, while the transport costs of 700,000 Euros are financed by Norway in the frames of the Nordic Support for Progress of North Macedonia project.

The support from the Norwegian Embassy is provided within the component for providing support to long-lasting environmental problems in the less developed regions of the country.

“Today in Norway we have more than 2,700 waste water treatment plants covering around 85% of the population. That is why we understand the importance of this for preparing the plot for the construction of the wastewater treatment plant in the Municipality of Tetovo and the value it will have for the local citizens and the economy of this region” said Geir Johansen, First Secretary at the Norwegian Embassy.

The cleaning of the location started in March this year and is planned to finish in November. So far,around 90,000 cubic meters of waste have been transported.

„With the construction of the waste-water treatment plant, we will stop the ongoing practice of releasing the untreated waste waters in the river Vardar, and thus improve the environmental protection and the health of the citizens of Tetovo and the nearby region”, stated the Mayor of Tetovo Ms. Teuta Arifi.

According to the Deputy Prime-minister in charge of European Affairs Bujar Osmani, the coordination of the foreign assistance and its rational use is of key importance for infrastructure project of this size.

“As a national coordinator for foreign assistance in the Republic of North Macedonia, I would like to express my sincere satisfaction for the success of this huge and complex project, where we will be able to fully see the benefits and the sense the perspectives  of our EU approximation”, said Deputy Prime-minister Osmani.

With the planned dynamics for the works, the construction of the treatment plant should start next year, with 30 million Euros secured from the available EU funds.