The town of Gjilan recently celebrated the completion of its new drinking water treatment plant. The local population can now enjoy a secure supply of clean water even in the dry summer months, which for the first time also extends to the areas of high ground around the town. The Velekince plant became operational in summer and was officially opened on 18 October 2008 by the president of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, and the prime minister, Hashim Thaqi.
Within the scope of a Swiss financing package for infrastructure development in Kosovo, WABAG Winterthur received an order for the mechanical-technical equipment for a new drinking water treatment plant that handles the water from six wells. The raw water is collected and transported to the plant where it is initially aerated using drizzle cascades. This enhances the oxygen content of the water and facilitates the removal of iron and manganese in the downstream, multilayer filters. These consist of a top layer filled with anthracite as a medium and a bottom layer of quartz sand activated with potassium permanganate, which enables the attainment of extremely low levels of residual manganate in the drinking water. Prior to entry into a storage tank, the filtered water is disinfected, thus ensuring that bacteria-free drinking water can be pumped into the supply network.
The new drinking water plant produces 6,000m³ of clean water per day and supplies some 40,000 inhabitants. The scope of WABAG Winterthur’s deliveries included the selection of process technology, engineering, the supply and installation of the hydromechanical systems, start-up and the training of the operational personnel.
