Dritan Ulqinaku, the deputy director of the Public Health Institute, declared on Now with Erla Mehilli that there is not an official version on what led to the massive poisoning in the city of Kruja, but noted that preliminary results point to the presence of ammonia in the water.

Ulqinaku also said contamination might have resulted from water, but dismissed chances that it could have been caused by the water supply company while hinting at external factors.

In light of the recent event, the second-in-rank of Albania’s public health emphasized the need to guarantee how safe water deposits are, in order not to endanger the lives of citizens.

“As a matter of fact, I must say that Albania has tolerated some aspects that shouldn’t exist at all. I am talking about protecting water deposits throughout the country. During communism, these deposits were guarded by the army”, he recalled.

The presence of ammonia, a colorless gas with a distinct odor composed of nitrogen and hydrogen, is not related to high levels of chlorine but might have resulted from external factors, he stated.

“There are objects in the proximity of the deposits that may cause these repercussions when it rains, and as a result lead to consequences in the drinking water. I cannot say that this has been the case in Kruja, because I have not been there, but in many cases, it has been like that”, concluded Ulqinaku.