Author: Gëzim Hilaj
Three years ago, Romana Vllahutin, former head of the EU delegation in Tirana, from the village of Shishtavec in Kukes, made a call against the construction of hydroelectric power plants. She urged the residents of the area not to move from this place, where EU funds have been invested in the reconstruction of the road connecting the area with Kosovo and North Macedonia, where the tourist and economic potential is extremely high and natural beauties are numerous.
Today, the reality is completely different. So far, in the Vana Gorge, in the span of four years (2012-2016), ten hydroelectric power plants have been built on the Luma Riverbed , turning the riverbed into a veritable desert, while five more hydroelectric power plants are planned.
Part of the Korab-Koritnik Natural Park, the Luma River , from a river with abundant flow, has turned into a stream without water, as a result of the construction of these hydropower investments. The hydropower plants are of the “BOT” type, which function as a single unit, giving and taking from each other, making maximum use of water and turning the riverbed during the period of use into a desert, dry and lifeless.
The construction of the hydropower plants "Bele 1", "Topojan 1", "Orgjost i Ri", "Bele 2" and "Topojan 2" was approved by the Ministry of Energy in November 2008. These HPPs were built by the concession companies "Euron Energy", "Energal sh.pk" and "Alb-Energy sh.pk".
While the hydropower plants "Borje", "Oreshkë", "Cernaleva 1" and "Cernaleva 2" were built by the company "HidroAlbania Energji". The last Pobregu hydropower plant was built by the concession company "Energy Plus sh.pk".
Residents of the areas where the Luma River tributaries pass have been opposing the construction of hydroelectric power plants for years. In the villages of Topojan and Borje, residents are concerned about the damage to the river, but seem resigned and unwilling to speak out further about the construction of hydroelectric power plants.
"This is not the time to talk about hydropower plants now. We have protests in 2018 in Tirana against the construction of hydropower plants. We have nothing to do now. We cannot get caught up with the government ," says a resident of Topojan who prefers to remain anonymous.
The construction permits, granted on February 2, 2018 by the Territorial Development Agency for the five new hydropower plants: "Zaje", "Tujan", "Xhaferraj", "Kollovoz" and "Novosejë", within the Korab-Koritnik Nature Park, have encountered the repeated opposition of the residents of the area. On the eve of the election campaign of April 25, 2021, in an open meeting with the residents, the mayor of Kukes Municipality, Safet Gjici, promised them that these HPPs would not be built.
"A few days ago, Safet Gjici was here at a meeting with the residents. He told us that new hydropower plants will not be built, even though permission has been granted," says the Topojan resident, adding that no one has consulted them about the hydropower plants.
"No one is asking about the hydropower plants that are ba. We have not provided any signature for this.
But the state is building twenty more hydropower plants and they won't know about us".
There is a lack of investment in infrastructure, but not in hydropower plants
Throughout the journey towards the village of Borje, part of Shishtavec, the road that passes over the Borje hydropower plant has not been maintained. The construction of the hydroelectric power plant here has not affected the arrangement of the road from Kukësi to Borje. The inhabitants of this village see and feel the great contrast between the considerable investment for the hydropower plant and the state of the infrastructure.
Krenar Bilali, a resident of Borje, says that the construction of hydropower plants has not improved the livelihood of the residents of the area. The problems continue to be the same as before their construction.
"The vast majority of residents have fled. They went to Germany and European countries.
"A hydroelectric power plant has been built in Borje and the residents between the four mountains do not have drinking water. We also have problems with electricity. They have not even touched the Borje road, which is in deplorable conditions," says Bilali.
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The National Agency of Protected Areas for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been against the construction of the "Oreshka" hydropower plant. In the response to the request for information, the Agency considers this area "with high values for the management of habitats and species; and the development of such an activity would have a very negative impact on the environment. In the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), it is stated that, referring to the law "On Protected Areas", the third degree of protection is applied to this area and the change of the natural state of water reserves, sources, lakes and wetland systems is prohibited and as investments of this nature are not allowed.
Olsi Nika, director of EcoAlbania , emphasizes that the hydropower plants built on the Luma River are problematic because the concession companies do not implement the contract to release a certain amount of water into the river for what is called ecological flow, as well as causing a lack of biological corridors.
"The first problem is the 80% fragmentation of the Luma River. With this fragmentation, it has practically lost its functionality and natural integrity as an ecosystem, because it has lost what is called the "longitudinal connection". The Luma is no longer a river, but a regulated hydropower cascade. Concession companies do not implement the contract to release a certain amount of water into the river, which is called ecological flow. The second problem is with biological corridors. Biological corridors are located in the dams of HPPs, but they do not always have the right amount of water to allow fish and other living things to pass through", - emphasizes Nika.
He also dwells on the economic effectiveness of these investments.
"Building all those HPPs for a small amount of energy, only 20 MegaWatts, which does not help much in supplying energy to power stations, and destroying the entire river for only 20 MegaWatts of electricity, is negligible in quantity. An entire river is destroyed for such a small energy benefit ," says Olsi Nika.
The river, ecologically dead
The Luma River has a variety of 26 fish, ranging from Western Balkan brook trout, carp and catfish. The introduction of the entire water flow into pipes has caused this fauna to no longer exist today.
Biologist Arben Palushi has made expeditions in the river from time to time and has confirmed the presence of fish, fish that are now gone. Despite the efforts to build survival pits, Palushi together with other experts failed to save the endemic creatures of this river.
"In the upper part, 1000-1500 meters, Luma was inhabited by the Western Balkan brook trout. Now that hydroelectric power plants have been built and water is introduced from pipe to pipe, from 22-26 species of fish, according to the expeditions we have made, everything is sterile, because the water passes from pipe to pipe ," says biologist Palushi.
The concession companies, in addition to putting water into the pipes, violate the points of the contract, throwing chlorine into the river to clean the pipes that get encrusted with single-celled algae.
"The algae, by coating the pipe, reduce the speed of movement, because the water rubs against them and creates turbulence. This affects the amount of energy produced. For this reason, they wash the pipes with chlorine, but chlorine destroys life. The companies, not only have killed the fish, but they have not even deigned to remove the dead fish," says Palushi.
The National Inspectorate of Territory Protection is the authority responsible for inspections of these hydropower plants. Only after successive requests by the ACQJ for information on the status of these investments and their impact on the Luma River ecosystem to the IKMT and the IKMT Regional Directorate, Kukës, did the latter initiate the necessary inspections against these concessionaires, responding to the request for information only partially.
According to this institution, the necessary inspections were carried out along the Luma River (Vana Gorge), where it was found that concession companies that have built HPPs on the riverbed were operating, two of which do not meet the conditions of the Environmental Permit, but without determining to what extent the other companies met the conditions of the permit.
IKMT, Kukës explained that the “Orgjosti” and “Pobregu” HPPs had ecological flow, through which a certain amount of flowing water, according to the definitions in the concession contract, passed unused and free into the natural river bed, thus ensuring the preservation of the ecological chain. Meanwhile, the “Topojan”, “Bele” and “Orgjost 1” HPPs used 100% of the water of the river cascade, thus destroying the system and leaving the river bed, in the segment where these works are, dry and lifeless. Despite this statement by IKMT, it was not made available what will happen to these concessionaires who have caused irreparable damage to the ecological system of the Lumë River . Despite claims that some investments have met contractual expectations and environmental obligations, a visit to the mouth of the Lumë River , into the Drini i Bardhë River, near the city of Kukës, shows a completely different landscape: a desolate riverbed, with stones that have not seen flowing water on them for years, even during the winter season.
The water that once flowed in the Luma River , one of the largest in the area, now passes through pipes to produce electricity, the lack of which the residents of the area still often suffer.
The life of the inhabitants, who live along this river, has not changed. Their future does not look good, while the life of the creatures of this ecosystem belongs to the past!
