Landslides in Dragostunja/ Geotechnical expert: Cause of design, deforestation and erosion

2026-02-24 10:09:00, Aktualitet CNA

Landslides in Dragostunja/ Geotechnical expert: Cause of design, deforestation

Geotechnical expert Rrahman Kola commented today on the situation in the Dragostunja area, where a landslide occurred on one side of the hill, resulting in numerous traffic difficulties.

Kola initially indicated that about 25 years ago, when the construction company opened the foundations of the concrete retaining walls, a large amount of water and instability of the conglomerate rocks were observed.

"There, in 1999-2000, when the construction company MAVROVA opened the foundations of the concrete retaining walls, there was a large amount of water and the conglomerate rock blocks were unstable due to cracks and a slope of 25-39 degrees (the angle of decline towards the river)," the expert says.

The expert adds that deforestation and erosion created on the lower slope have also had their impact on this land displacement.

"Also on the slope below, deforestation and erosion do their job due to the presence of groundwater, in places we also have unconnected formations which, due to the load, undergo displacement according to the slope of the terrain. The removal of inert materials in the river may have an effect, but we see that there is no erosion on the slope. The railway once had problems there, but the place was filled with large stones. The same situation is without going to the train station in Xhyrë, but even there it was filled with drainage material to filter groundwater. We see many "competents" who have the word corruption, thief, etc. stuck in their minds. The feasibility study was done by ALTEA, while a detailed geological study was missing", explains Kola.

According to Kola, another factor could be the blockage of the natural rainwater channel, especially in a period like the last few years, with intense rainfall.

"Small diameter manholes, in places where rainwater flows. As far as can be seen, rainwater has been flowing there for probably hundreds of years, the area that is sliding is between two ''streams''. That's why the old road has two bridges, the ones with blue dots, and the railway below has 2 bridges, the ones with yellow dots, which on the new road, apparently, one is completely blocked at the bridge that is collapsing (the one with the big blue dot), while on the other they have built a manhole with a diameter of about 1 meter. We once heard the expression ''Never block the natural channels where rainwater flows''. This period has had heavy rains above normal, and when rainwater does not find a free path to pass, it enters the ground, and in that case it serves as a softener and lubricant that causes landslides of soil or rocks, this is something that is known, "- said Kola.

The expert added that it was not in vain that the old rule of design engineers required a broader interest among local residents who knew the specifics, unlike the computer projects used today.

"That's why, before designing roads, engineers, in addition to studying maps, also asked local residents about the specifics of the terrain. Now they rely heavily on computer projects," the expert explains./ CNA