Gathered around a table in the center of Kuç village, a group of environmental experts listened for several hours to the residents' concerns about the water supply that will take their water.
The same group of scientists who saw the erosion of the forest and the laying of pipes, met the day after the deputy. The Minister of the Environment, to argue the dangers that threaten the protected area.
"The ecological consequences of water extraction can lead to the total extinction of species", declared "Riverwatch", a European organization for the protection of rivers.
They also appealed to the Ministry of Tourism and Environment that "tto immediately stop construction, do a full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and explore alternative sources of drinking water for the coast".
Together with the residents and experts of "Save the Blue Heart", Citizens Channel visited the source of Lëpusha from where the water will be taken to be sent to the water supply system of Himara. The works have started and are advancing faster. The water source no longer flows freely, the erosion to divert the bed has begun to have its first effects on the landscape as well.
The water of Lëpusha will be fed into a network of 20 kilometers of pipes to supply the tourist areas on the coast.
"We will be left without water, this spring that we remember all our lives like this, which is also a protected area, will no longer exist", says one of the regretful residents as we descend near the source of Lëpusha.
After Drinos, Shushica is the second main branch of the Vjosa river, the last wild river in Europe.
We recall that in March 2023, the government, after many efforts by local and foreign organizations and community resistance, announced in order ceremonial Vjosa National Park.
The announcement seemed to save Vjosa from hydropower, only to face a new threat, the drying up of resources from the aqueduct of Himara.
For the residents, this is "an attempt at depopulation". "They want to leave us without a future, let us go and let the investors come", another resident said.
The experts say that there was an opportunity for alternative sources "but this was the easiest way".
The Minister of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro, after giving a poetic speech on Vjosa, calling her the "queen of European rivers", said that a full 12.727 hectares have been declared a protected area.
"Together with the branches of the Vjosa river, specifically the Drino river, the Bënçë river, and the Shushica river, they make what is today called the first park in Europe of a wild river such as the Vjosa river. declared Kumbaro in 2023, but today, instead of protection, the machines that are eroding the land and building the pipes that will take the water to one of the main branches of Vjosa have landed in the Shushica river.
The pipes where the water taken from the source of Lepushe will be inserted to be transferred to Himare/ Photo: Arbjona Çibuku
The works are advancing more rapidly, at a time when the management plan of Vjosa National Park has not yet been approved. Since the summer of 2023, residents of the area have opposed the project and held several protests, denouncing that they were kept out of public consultations on the project.
Mitat Balili, a resident of the village of Kuç, told us that he became familiar with the project only when the field work started. "What is happening to us is not called a problem, but a crime", says Mitati while adding that this affects not only the village of Kuç, but 30 villages as well.
"Removing the water and changing the water flow of Shushica from Kuçi is a destruction", says Mitati as he finds it very important to clarify that this is not one "war between us and Himara, but there are other sources where they can get water, they don't have to come all the way here".
"They are forcing us to disappear from here at all costs", he says and shows that his three sons, who are currently abroad, had the desire to invest in the village, but after learning about the project and the fact that the area may run out of water, they withdrew.
"Yes, this is a crime, to take water from a village that lives and eats bread with it". Mitati says indignantly. He recounts his and his fellow villagers' efforts in opposing this project, where he lists the steps they have taken since the protests to the petition and the requests for meetings with representatives of the institutions.
"No answer, no consultation, on deaf ears". this was the reaction of the institutions to these residents, according to the confession of Mitati and other residents we met there.
These villages depend on the river for their economy, as they are supported by agricultural land and animal husbandry.
Leonard Malaj is a resident of the village of Brataj, who participated in the meeting and expressed his objections to the project. Leonardi says that the main reason they are protesting for the protection of the Shushicë river is economic.
"We rely on this river, we have irrigated lands, this river has a very big impact on agriculture and livestock", says Leonardi while not forgetting to mention the impact on the environment that this intervention will bring.
"But what affects us the most is the depopulation that will happen to the area, because here there is no alternative source of livelihood if there is no water", says Leonardi.
"Designing the water supply system of Himara"
The water permit has been issued in December 2021, but the spring of Lepusha is located within the protected territory "Oak Forest of Zerc". This territory is a natural monument belonging to a special formation of green oaks, whose habitats, at the national level, are classified in the red list of endangered species, thus being a protected resource.
Although a country rich in water resources, there is still a 24-hour water shortage in Albania.
Since 2007, the overall coverage of water supply has remained the same, at the level of 77.7% until 2021. Thus, urban areas along the coastline, especially during the summer months, suffer more from this problem. Durrës, Vlora, Himara or Saranda are facing big challenges in terms of drinking water supply.
Based on this problem, a project was drawn up that foresees the diversion of the valley to send the water to Himare.
The IV Rural Aqueduct Program is implemented in Himarë & Orikum municipalities for the development of tourism in this area of the Albanian Riviera. According to the project, 80 thousand residents and tourists will benefit from this service.
The developer of the ADF project states that this project will have a positive impact on the environment thanks to the construction of two small HPPs in Himara, contributing to the production of renewable energy and environmental protection.
The project started planning in 2019 with the feasibility study. On May 5, 2021, KTA issued the Environmental Permit based on the Preliminary EIA, so the project has been given the right to proceed with development without a full EIA. During 2022, all permits were granted, including the Water Use Permit and the Construction Permit.
After the permit process, the project has entered the advanced construction phase. Construction officially started on January 10, 2023 and is expected to last 18 months. The project is expected to be completed in August 2024.
The diversion project, referred to EcoAlbania experts, is likely to affect the functionality of the river and will reflect the negative impact on the aquatic and coastal flora and fauna of the river.
Environmental expert Olsi Nika explains that the deviation of the riverbed "104 l/s, where the average annual water flow is calculated to be 139 l/s, is expected to leave the riverbed dry during the summer".
On December 18, Citizens Channel sent a request for comment to the National Agency for Protected Areas (AKZM), which did not make any assessment of the impact that the conversion of that space into receiving works for the new aqueduct would have, accepting the proposal of the technical report immediately. AKZM did not provide any comment on this question.
"Each deviation from one watershed to another, ecologically brings disadvantages", says Aleko Miho, lecturer and responsible for the scientific research of botany.
Miho says that he is proud that Vjosa, after much effort, was declared a National Park, but adds that "There is no National Park without Bençn, without Drino and Shushica".
"Pretending that you are taking water because you want to develop the coast, taking it from a protected area, is a non-positive and unacceptable approach", says Miho about the intervention in the protected area.
For Miho, what is happening contradicts what he expects from an area that is part of the National Park.
"I expect this area to have a sustainable development, where drinking water is also important for the ecological side", says Miho and explains that about 30% of the water is taken during the summer as well.
We remind you that this project that threatens the protection of Vjosa is taking place at a time when there are debates in parliament by environmental organizations about legal changes in the law on Protected Areas. These changes pave the way for investments in protected areas, as the concept of a protected area is being changed.
The prediction of the construction of 2 small HPPs near Himara is worrying for the community and experts.
This fact is mentioned in the feasibility study as well as in the public announcement of the project. However, very limited information is provided in the EIA Report on these projects. "It is unclear who will run this HPP and how much is their installed capacity", the document states.
For experts, the most important thing is that this project is damaging the National Park of the Wild River Vjosa as a vision.
He completed master's studies in Investigative Journalism at the Department of Journalism at the University of Tirana. She has been working as a journalist for five years, where she previously covered issues of politics and parliamentary activity, in print and online media. She is currently a journalist at Citizens.al, where she covers various social issues related to the transparency of institutions. At Citizens.al, she leads the podcast "The Unheard" and is engaged as a manager of projects related to the support of investigative journalism.
One Response
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