"Let the water flow freely", this is the unanimous and non-negotiable demand of the brave inhabitants of the villages along the Vlora river valley.
Gathered at the Bratajt Bridge, where the river of Shushica still flows freely under it, the inhabitants of the surrounding villages shouted in unison "Hands off Shushica", "We give life, we don't give Shushica".
For more than a year, these residents have been protesting for the protection of the Shushicë river, since is threatened from the construction of an aqueduct in Himare, which receives water from the source of Lëpuša.
Below the Brataj bridge, there are children bathing in the river, foreign tourists, and locals who spend the summer there, joined by the protesters.
"For us, this water that flows here, as you see freely, is life. We with this riverë we have grown and are still alive today. We keep the cattle and the land", - says Qemal Malaj, a resident of Brataj village, as he stands under the Brataj bridge. For more than a year, he has joined this resistance, and says that, together with other residents, they are not against supplying Himara with drinking water "but there are other alternatives".
In this riverë there are rare species which according to Riverwatch experts, who also joined the protest on Friday, are at risk if the Himara aqueduct project is completed.
The Shushica River is a branch of the Vjosa River, declared a National Park with a pompous ceremony by the government, after a very long struggle of residents and activists.
Olsi Nika, head of the environmental organization EcoAlbania, said that the battle for Vjosa started like this among the residents and only their persistence made the initiative massive and crowned with the status of National Park.
"Until the declaration of Vjosa National Park, there was a very long battle, which not everyone has seen. The residents' effort for Shushica is its continuation", Nika said, adding that without Shušica, there is no Vjo.
After Drinos, Shushica is the second main branch of the Vjosa river, the last wild river in Europe.
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.
"What is happening is a crime against our centuries-old river, and we protest that the oligarchs who want to take our water should leave the water to us as well.", Ilir Guri from the village of Brataj told Citizens.
Ulrich Eichelman, head of Riverwatch while standing at the place where the pipes that will receive the water of Shushica are kept, spoke about the danger of the project as well as the peculiarities of the river.
"This blue tube turned into a protest symbol in fact", Eichelman says referring to TUBE which was returned in a petition by the residents.
It was Qemal Malaj who put the pipe on his car and collected signatures in all the surrounding villages, bringing this creative petition in front of the prime minister.
"If they will finalize this project for us, Shushica will be halved, it will dry up and Shushica will no longer be a National Park", says Eichelman, who adds that this will be a disaster "because it will be two years after the great announcement of Vjosa National Park".
The government, says Eichelman, declared Vjosa a National Park with flashing lights and told the whole world how close it is to nature and how much they love nature, but they are not showing it.
"Behind me, that road you see there, below it are the pipes that are transferring the river water", – says Eichelman. He clarifies that so far there is no major damage, but the damage will be done if the project continues and the receiving work is built in Kuç.
"With this project, it is not only for Shushica, but it has to do with Albania, whether or not it takes Vjosa seriously as a National Park. So the government announces something and a year later says "ok" we are building in this park", - says the head of Riverwatch, an international environmental organization.
For him, the government's action at this point is to choose between eco tourism or mass tourism because "if you take the water of Shushica, the people here cannot participate in the tourism of the National Park, they will sacrifice the people of the villages here for more a lot of tourism over there".
On the government's claim that "the permit was granted before Vjosa was declared a National Park”, Eichelman says this is both true and false at the same time.
They gave the permission a year before it was declared a National Park, but the discussion about the status of Vjosa had started much earlier and the government had signed the agreement with Patagonia for Vjosa National Park and Shushica is part of it. "They knew", he says indignantly.
On the other hand, the residents seem determined to see their battle for the river to the end.
"We don't give it, prime minister, I hear youë the voice of the residents of Labëria, that we do not give up easily", says a resident in the action on the Brataj bridge.
"The women of Krusica join Shushica"
At the end of the action, the residents head to Buronjat e Kučit to hold a discussion and watch a documentary about the struggle that led to the victory of declaring Vjosa a National Park.
The residents of Shušica were joined by two brave women from Krušica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who fought to protect their river, staying in the blockade for 500 days, until victory. They opposed the construction of two hydropower plants. Their resistance became an inspiration to all.
"We are here to support our brothers in the Shushica Valley, because we understand the devastating impact these projects can have on the affected communityr" said Amela Zukan, one of the many brave women of Krushica who participated in the 500-day resistance.
Lela Qejvani, one of the few women who joined the Shushica protest, as she expressed her pleasure to see these strong women, who had achieved a victory, called on all the men present "Next time, take the women with you, we will all make a difference together".
Project për waterëbringëson of HImarës has 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. However, until now the residents have achieved a small victory, they have stopped the installation of pipes within the National Park area.
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.
