Valve failure on "Orce Nikolov": part of Skopje's Centar without water from 8 pm until the work is done

Some residents on "Orce Nikolov", "Miladin Popovikj" and "Mirka Ginova" streets in Skopje's Centar municipality were left without water from 8 pm, until the work is completed, the public utility "Vodovod i Kanalizacija" - Skopje announced.

The cause is a failed gate valve, 150 millimetres in diameter, at number 157 on "Orce Nikolov" street. No exact time for the water to come back was given - only "until the work is completed".

This is the very centre of the capital, not some outlying suburb. Every outage like this, even an overnight one, leaves households without drinking water or water for basic needs. How many old valves and pipes are still waiting under Skopje's asphalt - and is anyone checking them before they give way?