Government destroys Erzen River

Every day, dozens of trucks continue to transport gravel dug from the river’s bed, on behalf of a construction company that is working for the new Tirana Ring Road and Tirana-Elbasan highway projects. The entire river area, around Ura e Peshkatarit, has turned into a giant working site, where bulldozers load the long queue of trucks that go back and forth with an impressive pace.

The Erzen River massacre is even more visible from above. The river bed in the working site is almost destroyed, bifurcating in multiple small streaks.

Erzen River Valley is the station where bulldozers load the heavy trucks that travel a few kilometers, unloading the gravel at the location that will be the bypass of the new Tirana Ring Road and the Tirana-Elbasan highway.

The rivers are administered by the Basin Councils, under the directions of the prefect of the greatest district traversed by the river. These councils also give the permits for exploiting the rivers for construction materials. River exploitation is made only in given seasons, and this process is forbidden in summer.

But for Erzen River, which is continuing to be destroyed, it is not possible to receive an exploitation permit.  After “Ura e Peshkatarit” bridge was destroyed several years ago by human interventions in the river bed, this river was excluded from the list exploitable rivers. However, no one is stopping these heavy trucks to take loads 247 for the construction of this road, although road construction technology does not allow the usage of river gravel for filling highway basements.

Top-Channel tried to take an official explanation by the prefecture and the regional environmental office, but no one is answering. While non-official sources confirm that this environmental massacre is being tolerated by the government due to the fact that Tirana Ring Road construction is a top priority for the government. Official sources also declare that the government is expected to approve a decision that allows construction companies to exploit natural resources for the construction of great public works. The end justifies the means, and the government seems to be ready to permanently destroy Erzen River for the construction of the Tirana Outer Road Ring and Tirana-Elbasan highway.

Top Channel