After the suspension of works 7 months ago, the HEC dam built near the Holta Canyon in the city of Gramsh has started to collapse today. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced a few minutes earlier that the beauty of Holta will not be affected and the HPP will not be built there.
"We said publicly that NO, this HPP would not be built there and YES, this HPP would not be built there."
The reaction also came from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy which, through a status on Facebook, declared that the concern of the residents of Gramsh got a solution.
"The demolition of the concrete slab built near the canyon has begun, to transform this wonderful place into a tourist spot, restoring its originality"
Even the mayor of Gramsh, Klodian Taçe, thanked those who supported the interests of the citizens of Gramsh.
"Gone are the days when the Municipality of Gramsci was despised and the many natural assets were used for the personal benefits of a certain group of people.
The Municipality of Gramsh under my leadership will not allow any investment, no matter how strategic it is, if it harms the natural assets of the area."
In all their statements, we find that the dam near the Holta Canyon will be destroyed, but it is not said that it will not be rebuilt again.
Local media, have reported that the HEC has not been cancelled, even in recent days there has been an intensification of the works. In the area near the Canyon, large trucks and pipes brought by the private company "Era Hydro" were seen, which will make it possible to get water from the river flow.
According to LAW new for Protected Areas, constructions near natural monuments must be done more than 200 m away from the perimeter of the monument. Xhek Nezha, director of the Elbasan Protected Areas Agency, told Citizens Channel that the demolition of the dam serves the implementation of the new law on protected areas, which does not allow any construction within a perimeter of 200 meters from the protected areas.
"The HPP that started work in January was in violation of the new law on Protected Areas, as the distance from the canyon to the dam was 145 m, while by law it should be over 200 m. But with the old law it was okay since it was 50 m."
Nezha adds that if the dam were to remain in that location, it would risk filling the canyon with inert material.
"For me as an environmental specialist and as a director, all HPPs have impacts on the environment. In the case in question, if the dam were to remain where it was, there was a risk of filling the mouth of the canyon with inert material, since the difference in level between the mouth of the canyon and the dam was small. Now the dam will be built below where the HEC water comes out, which was built years ago, and there will be no more negative impacts for the canyon".
The works for the construction of the HPP started at the beginning of 2019, as a result of the approval of the construction permit by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.
Due to citizens' protests against the construction of the HPP, the works were immediately suspended. The Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Belinda Balluku, held a hearing with the residents of Gramsci, where she said that the permit granted to the HPP would be verified. During the hearing, she said: "But I want to say it very clearly, indeed, small HPPs contribute to the economy, but they can economically damage much more than their contribution, if a small HPP reduces the value of a large natural resource. That's why we need a perfect balance between economic development and the protection of our natural assets, which are the greatest asset that we Albanians have."
The Holta Canyon is one of the Albanian wonders located in the northeast of Gramsh, while the Holta River begins its stretch from the village of Bardhan to the village of Kobash with a length of about 3 km, while the slopes of the valley climb up to a height of 100-150 m and with water depth that goes up to 3 m. In recent years, it has become a tourist attraction for citizens.
*Citizens Channel /EK/
