International Day of Water

84 permits have been given only in the Librazhd District, for the construction of hydropower plants, 70% of which will have an impact on the National Park Shebenik-Jabllanica. Most of these permits were given without making an environmental evaluation. Zamir Dedej confirms that on the International Day for water protection, people should protest and demand a suspension of hydropower plant licenses.

“Decreased water level will have an impact in agriculture, environment and welfare, because the climate and everything else are connected with the rivers. The Albanian government must announce their position as soon as they have information, not only for official information, but also for information that comes from us. The local government has a very strong stance against the Greek government”, Dedej declared.

While environmentalists show the environmental and economic impacts that will come as result of these HPPs, the Vjosa River is being endangered by the Greek government, which wants to take 70 million cubic meters of water each year.

“The Albanian government must make a strategic environmental evaluation of the hydropower plants which give more income without the hydropower plants. Small streams which have water only in some periods of time need no hydropower plants, because they wouldn’t bring profits even for investors. There is a tendency from the new government to stop licenses that were not used and this would be good news, so that we start doing what is needed for what is called stable hydropower plants”, Dedej declared.

The Albanian and Greek environmentalists have decided to send this case to the Greek Supreme Court, while the Mayor of Konica and representatives of the local government have opposed the project of the Greek government for deviating the Vjosa River.

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