"The most urgent environmental problem in the Municipality of Durrës is the disposal and treatment of solid waste. The Porto-Romano deposit has turned into a ticking time bomb. In this context, the solution of the new solid waste deposit is urgent and strategic", this was the conclusion drawn in February 2016 by the Municipality of Durrës and the Institute for Cooperation and Development, in "Analysis and Evaluation of the Territory".
"Clock bomb" is located about 3-4 kilometers north of the city of Durrës. It covers an area of 80.000 m2 with urban waste, inert, hazardous waste and dead animals. Three municipalities contribute every day to "enrich" the structure of this 'bomb': that of Durrës, Shijak and Kavaja. Its camouflage has been achieved by allowing the construction of houses nearby, in the area of Porto-Romano.
According to Local Waste Management Plan for the municipality of Durrës 2010-2025, the city deposits its waste in the only garbage field in Porto-Romano, which is location by standards, which has been opened since the beginning of the 90s and is expected to have a lifespan of 25 years (until 2015).
Air and subsoil pollution
From the monitoring of the first six months of 2012, the air quality in the Durrës municipality appeared to be problematic, as a result of the increase in PM 2.5 and PM 10 particles. According to the "Territory Analysis and Assessment", the factors contributing to this situation included and the burning of waste in the area of the waste collection site.
As for water pollution, it also listed "unsafe waste disposal sites such as Porto-Romano, in terms of underground water and aquifer areas (underground layer of water-permeable and water-bearing soil). Likewise, the deposit of Porto-Romano and the deposits of the administrative units so far are at risk of contamination phreatic nappes (saturation zone, a "reservoir", in which relatively all pores are saturated with water) due to their shallowness.
While according to the Local Waste Management Plan, the environmental performance of the site is catastrophic, due to every aspect of potential emissions. The site suffers from waste pollution, runoff from the site ends up in groundwater and the sea, uncontrolled biogas emissions, and the site regularly catches fire in dry weather, releasing high concentrations of dioxins and furans.
But from the observation of several months by the Citizens Channel, it turns out that the garbage is burned without interruption throughout the 24 hours, in every season.
"The garbage collection site in Porto-Romano is a poison warehouse with open doors," Xhemal Mato, solid waste expert, told Citizens Channel.
Further, Mato adds that the landfill is out of any standard, without fencing, animals use the polluted water to drink, and then it is poured into the sea, affecting the aquatic world, and there are also no studies on the level of pollution.
While the Municipal Services Company in the Durrës municipality informs us that it does not have the capacity to carry out studies on the level of pollution.
Humans and animals live on waste
If you go to the dump in the early hours of the morning, you might think it's a mine. With a light on their head, the adults work through the night to collect plastic cans, cardboard, cans and iron. From this activity, they tell Citizens Channel that they earn about 10 old lek per day.
While you find children mostly throughout the day. Some after finishing school, others get their "lessons" by digging among the garbage of three cities. The cars that bring the garbage are their "urban transport".
"This is Kavaja's garbage truck, I will stop him from getting in and going to the landfill," says a minor who has sent cans and irons to sell.
More than 50 people work here per day, who mainly live in the Porto-Romano or Saint Vlashi area, and who originate from different areas of Albania. Residents nearby, along the "Kuvendi Frančeskan" road, have seen the garbage dump as the only possibility of employment and today they say that they replaced the huts with brick houses, working on the garbage. This despite the high cost of health, such as various infectious diseases and broken limbs.
While the residents of Porto-Romano do not hesitate to show that the burning of waste is poisoning them every day. The 9-year school "Met Hasa" is located just a few minutes away from this landfill.
Animals freely move in and out of this hotbed of disease, eating garbage and drinking polluted water. Cows, dogs, and mostly pigs, are found everywhere. There is enough food for them! The Municipal Services Company informs us that for the year 2015 alone, a total of 67.000 tons of waste were deposited.
According to Law on Veterinary Service, in article 54 it is written; than veterinary structures in local government units must: c) to determine pastures and the countries of drinking water, depending on the epidemiological situation and, if necessary, to stop their use; ç) To keep under control and implement the legislation in force for the elimination of dogs and cats of the road; e) to take measures for Siege and maintaining collection points sewage and to deny entry of animals there.
From Citizens Channel's observation, it appears that these points have not been implemented, where the pasture for these animals is the garbage dump and the place for drinking water is the dirty and sewage channel.
To the landfill and to the sewer there is no enclosure and animals move freely in them as well there is no table which prohibits this.
The Municipality of Durrës informs us that, "from the frequent inspections carried out by the veterinary inspectorate of the Municipality of Durrës, it has been proven that in this area there are animals (mainly pigs) that graze in the landfill of Porto-Romano. This area is not suitable for their grazing, but these animals are not sent to the city slaughterhouse... These animals are used by the residents for personal consumption, and from the veterinary inspectorate's point of view, this is uncontrollable."
But the establishment of "stalls" outside the hygienic and sanitary standards near the dump site and the testimonies of the residents that herds of animals go for sale, do not justify the use for personal consumption.
Landfill beyond any standard!
In the new municipality of Durres, at the moment, the collection and disposal of urban waste is done by a number of institutions: two public cleaning companies (Durres Municipality), two private companies and three directorates of services at the administrative unit level. The Municipality of Durres is the main authority responsible for waste management services in the city of Durres. Both enterprises are managed by the Municipal Council and financed from the Municipal budget.
According to the "Territory Analysis and Assessment", prepared by the Durrës Municipality and the Institute for Cooperation and Development, with the new territorial administrative division, the need arose for these two enterprises to reorganize and cover the entire territory of the new municipality.
As it appears from Citizens-Channel's observation and based on the finding in the Local Waste Management Plan, the waste dump in Porto-Romano does not have: a protective layer for water, to avoid the underground penetration of liquids flowing into the dump; border barriers; waste infiltration collection system; surface water collection plant (for rainwater); network to collect biogas; daily covering of waste to avoid odors and burning of waste; internal road network; on-site office and manual waste separation plant.
Waste diggers stand on top of the waste to separate the waste streams you care about; there is no field fence; as well as missing the weighing system and a wash for the tools that come out of there.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErrpvJii6tk&w=560&h=315]
Manza landfill as a solution?
A study supported by the World Bank (IFC - "International Finance Corporation"), has determined the construction of a contemporary regional landfill for the County of Durrës, in the village of Radë, Manzë Administrative Unit. On 18.11.2014, the Ministry of Environment together with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure have published on the portal of the Public Procurement Agency the opening of the call for offers for the concession of the "Landfill for the County of Durrës", referring to Article 48 of Law 125 /2013 "On concession and Public Private Partnership". According to Citizens Channel information, this process has stopped.
"A new process has started for the construction of the new sanitary landfill, on an area of 15 Ha. This service will cover the entire territory of the Durrës municipality and will create the possibility of opening 1500 new jobs, its cost is estimated at 6.5 million euros", it is written in the "Territory Analysis and Assessment".
Author: Geri Emiri*
*Graduated in Journalism and Communication at the University of Tirana. He has worked in several online media and television. He is currently the editor-in-chief of the blog "Amfora.al", profiled in the field of reporting on archeology and works as a freelance reporter.
