Residents of the Shushica Valley and environmental activists are protesting against the construction of the new water pipeline for Himara, which diverts this river to supply water to the tourist coast of the south.
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"We are not against the development of Himara, but we are against it being done at our expense," says Shyqyri Hoxhaj, a resident of the village of Kuc-Burunja. "We drink water from there, our livestock as well, and we cultivate agricultural lands by crossing them," adds the 67-year-old, who was born and raised near the Vlora River, known locally as Shushica. Together with Hoxhaj, dozens of residents of the Valley protested last Saturday (24.02) at the Laskos bridge, located near the construction site of the water pipeline.
Around 30 villages in the Municipality of Himara and Selenica in Albania are affected by the diversion of the river's water. Residents claim that they have not been consulted by the Albanian government about this project, which directly affects their economic and social sustainability. "This project was never communicated to us. Its existence came to light only when construction machinery appeared. We will not stand idly by as they take away our water," says Astrit Balilaj, the village head of Kuc, to DW Albanian.
Battle for the Shushica River Continues in Court
Around 50 residents of the Shushica Valley, together with the Albanian nature conservation organization "EcoAlbania," have filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Court of Tirana against the National Environmental Agency and the Municipality of Himara. They seek the annulment of the construction permit, the decision for preliminary environmental impact assessment, as well as the annulment of the permit for groundwater use. The first court session has not yet been held. According to experts and scientists who have been studying the Vjosa River for years, the Environmental Impact Assessment report for this project is not based on scientific evidence.
"The EIA argues that the amount of water to be taken does not affect the river's ecology. This is debatable. Studies on the risk to rare species have not been taken into account," says Aleko Miho, a professor at the University of Natural Sciences in Tirana, to DW Albanian. "The project claims that the intervention is not in a protected area, while Shushica is part of the Vjosa National Park," explains Olsi Nika, Executive Director of EcoAlbania. The status of the Vjosa National Park is also at risk because Shushica is one of the three main branches of the Vjosa River, which was declared a National Park in March 2023, becoming the first area for the protection of wild rivers in Europe. This would mean not only protection of the river ecosystem but also development opportunities for tourism in the entire area.
Shushica Risks Losing National Park Status
With the construction of the Himara water pipeline, expected to be completed by August of this year, Shushica risks losing its status as a National Park. "We had high hopes for the National Park and expected it to stimulate economic development. If our water is now taken away and Shushica loses its status as a National Park, our economic future will be at risk," says Elidon Kamaj, the village head of Brataj.
According to environmental experts, the environmental damage will be throughout the length of the river. "The Vjosa River National Park is based on a mainly natural and unaltered water balance in its river network. This is what makes this area so unique. This project's deviation jeopardizes the entire National Park," said Ulrich Eichelmann, Executive Director of Riverwatch, to DW Albanian. "The risk lies in the possibility that the diversion of water in Shushica will create a precedent. The credibility of the entire Vjosa River National Park is at stake," explains Olsi Nika of EcoAlbania.