Dozens of environmental protection organizations in Albania have demanded accountability and transparency regarding the works and interventions being carried out on the Shkumbin River as part of the Elbasan-Librazhd-Bushtricë national road project.
In a joint letter sent to Prime Minister Rama and the Minister of Environment, Sofjan Jaupaj, as well as other local authorities responsible for the environment, 25 environmental organizations have requested urgent measures to prevent harmful environmental interventions in the Shkumbi River and its surrounding areas, which are being carried out as part of the works for the Elbasan-Librazhd-Bushtricë road.
In the context of the recent landslides on the Librazhd-Bushtricë national axis and traffic disruptions in the southeast of the country, environmentalists' concerns regarding these interventions on the banks of the Shkumbin River have been further reinforced.
"This latest event reinforces our previously raised concerns regarding interventions on the bed and banks of the Shkumbin River," reads the joint statement of 25 local environmental protection organizations.
"The works have changed the natural morphology of the river, lowered the bed and increased the dynamics of the flow, destabilizing the banks and surrounding lands," the environmental activists' statement continues.
One of the most important construction sites of the Corridor VIII project is precisely the Elbasan-Librazhd road, where work has been underway for two years to build two tunnels with a length of 1.1 km. The government has considered this project as an important traffic artery, which will unleash the economic and tourist potential of these areas.
However, environmentalists seek to prevent further degradation of the environment and the Shkumbin River, which is a result of recent works on the river banks, by demanding respect for the environmental and water legal framework, as well as transparency over the process of securing construction permits and the rehabilitation of damaged segments in the area.
"We request verification of legality and concrete measures regarding the interventions observed on the Shkumbin River and its banks, especially in the context of the works for the construction of the Elbasan-Librazhd-Bushtricë national road, as part of Corridor VIII," the letter to state institutions reads.
"Works in the area are using inert materials from the riverbed and banks, causing direct changes to its morphology," continues the environmentalists' letter, which further adds that soil, stones and other materials are being deposited in the riverbed.
According to environmental activists, these actions lead to a deterioration of water quality, but also of biodiversity and natural coastal habitats.
"The increased turbidity and sediment load in the water body increases the risk of erosion, bank collapse and flooding," the environmentalists quote.
They demand that the responsible institutions conduct an urgent on-site inspection, followed by an official report with concrete findings that would create transparency on the monitoring process, and they also requested a possible rehabilitation plan for the damaged areas.
"We call on the responsible institutions to react with concrete actions, clear deadlines and defined responsibilities," the 25 environmental organizations said in the letter sent to the responsible institutions.
"Protecting the Shkumbin River is an institutional and social responsibility," they concluded. /BIRN/
