Qemal Malaj and Sotir Zahoaliaj hastily tied a three-meter blue pipe on a Benz 190. For eight days, the two residents of Brataj village in the Shushica valley have been walking the pipe in the surrounding villages to collect signatures from the residents of the area as a form opposition to the Himara aqueduct project.
This aqueduct will divert the water of Lëpusha from the source of Shushica, introducing it into pipes in order to supply water to the villages and tourist areas of Himara.
"Not because we don't want the water to go to Himare, but because we have this property and taking this river is abusive. Initially, they said that they will receive 1/3 of the resource, while now they seek to receive another resource. We strongly oppose it and will continue until this project is canceled", - Qemal Malaj confesses.
According to Sotir Zahoaliaj, the residents' sensitivity to the projects being developed in this area started when it was said that a hydropower plant would be built.
"It is taken from the flow, which seems to us quite absurd. Where we are, the effect will be felt less, but the water level will decrease a lot. The value of the beauty of the bridge and all those ponds and beauties that this place has will decrease. Then further down it will be even more of a problem, especially in the last 10 kilometers", Sotiri says.
He confesses that with this water the whole area is maintained, including agricultural and livestock activity, but also for tourism, which has premises to develop with the construction of the road.
"They also use it for cattle, because they come down from the mountain and drink water in this segment, about 7-8 kilometers. In recent years, with the construction of the road, it is used a lot for tourism, for the beach. This has revitalized the economy of the area and some bars and some hostels have started to be built", - said Sotiri.
Qemali shares the same concern.
"These residents, if this river is taken away from you, then also the road that is done it was useless. The basis and life of this area is that river: for the development of tourism, agriculture, livestock and everything else".
A few minutes beyond the village of Brataj, while the car crosses the beautiful winding road between green fields and steep mountains, we meet Asllan Lalajn. A gentleman over 60 from the village of Kuç, who, like Sotiri and Qemali, along with other residents of the area, are filling the other half of the pipe with signatures.
"We have been to 8 villages, from Mesaplik, Tërbaci, Vranishti, Bolena, Kallarati and the two villages of Kuçi. All the residents, as soon as they found out that it was about the water problem, came and signed, because it is life. Taking water from Kuçi to Himare means that the river will dry up and there will be no water for drinking or irrigation", -says Asllan Lalaj.
According to him, the residents have shown themselves quite willing to sign it, as water is a source of life for them. While adding further that this project is being developed without asking the residents.
"There was no public hearing at all with the community. They lied about the amount of water that will be taken, while they say we will take 140 liters and leave 310 liters. Currently, it is not 200 liters, which was also the winter water"Asllani argues.
According to him, the data on the capacity of the source are based on many years earlier.
"The statistics are not fresh, but they were taken from the years '79-'89, when there was rain. Whereas now that the drought is coming, the level of water and resources has dropped".
Yesterday in Vlora, a public hearing was held for the management plan of Vjosa National Park by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and the National Agency of Protected Areas.
Daniela Pirushi from the AKZM of Vlora said that the works for the Himara water supply had started before Vjosa was declared a National Park. So far, more than 75% of the works have been done, Pirushi emphasized. However, she did not mention how extensive the works were when the Vjosa goodwill agreement was signed two years ago. According to Pirushi, the works have already been stopped, as two independent experts from the IUCN have been appointed to assess the impact of the water supply project in Shushica.
The Himara water supply project is being carried out by the Albanian Development Fund, part of the Rural Water Supply Rehabilitation Program.
Field works have progressed, starting from Himara and arriving near the Shushica valley. Shushica is the second main branch after Drinos, of the Vjosa river. The last wild river in Europe and announced in March 2023 as the Vjosa National Park.
"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", - said in 2023 the Minister of of Tourism and Environment, Mirela Kumbaro.
"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 water supply coverage has remained the same, at the level of 77.7% until 2021. Thus, urban areas along the coastline, especially during the summer months, suffer the most 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 Waterworks Program is implemented in the municipalities of Himarë & Orikum for the development of tourism in this area of the Albanian Riviera and is expected to benefit 80 residents and tourists.
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.
Erisa Kryeziu has completed higher studies in Journalism and Communication and Master of Science in Public Relations at the University of Tirana. She has been a journalist and project manager at Citizens.al for five years, where she reports on social issues and human rights, especially on issues of rights at work, in education, gender equality, marginalized groups, people with disabilities such as and for environmental issues. At the same time, she works as a project coordinator with a focus on youth and media education. User of new reporting techniques such as "Mobile Journalism" and citizen engagement tools in reporting (ECR-Engage Citizens Journalism).
