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10:36 SOCIAL ISSUES

Abandonment of villages/ Economic crisis drives mass exodus

Villages are facing one of the most serious demographic cr...

Fix Fare/ Leave it like in the "Iron Age" without sewers, sewage flows into the lake

2023-09-29 21:45:57, Denoncim CNA

Fix Fare/ Leave it like in the "Iron Age" without sewers, sewage flows

The village of Lin is one of the most picturesque in Albania. It is located on the shores of the Pogradec lake and is the first "panorama" for visitors coming down Qafë Thana in the direction of the city.

The lake shore is a UNESCO protected area, while the village itself has been included in the 100 tourist villages by the government. Recently, Lini was also confirmed as the oldest settlement in Europe, over 8500 years old.

Fix Fare/ Leave it like in the "Iron Age" without sewers, sewage flows

The geographical but also the historical position have turned Lin into a favorite destination, as visitors, in addition to the lake and the cuisine, also go to the archaeological finds on the hill above the present-day village. There is also a Paleo-Christian basilica in the village, which has mosaics of many colors. There are also 8 churches in that area.

But what stands out the most in Lin is the pronounced lack of investment. The main concern for the residents is the lack of sewers for the waste water that ends up in the lake.

Fix Fare/ Leave it like in the "Iron Age" without sewers, sewage flows

The few residents who have remained in the village, the elderly, claim that the village has been drowned by sewage and life has become very difficult. That is why even the young people have left the village. But even those who want to return and invest are still reluctant, as the smell of feces in Lin is unbearable, and no longer attracts tourists.

Fix Fare/ Leave it like in the "Iron Age" without sewers, sewage flows

" Everything is ruined in the village, the lack of sewage. Tourists come, see and leave disappointed. When children bathe in the lake, they get infected from the sewage that flows there, so we ask for urgent help, " says the head of the village, Lin Gafurr Avdullari.

Fix Fare/ Leave it like in the "Iron Age" without sewers, sewage flows

After the residents' complaints, Fiksi turned to the Pogradec Municipality to get some information about the investments programmed for the village of Lin. Under the mayor of Pogradec Municipality, Paskalin Aziko, claims for Fiksi that the municipality knows the current state of the village and that in 2024 the investments in Lin will begin. "As an area protected by UNESCO, the project has had maximum support, from the mosaic monasteries to the infrastructure, facades and sewage systems. The project is part of the Development Fund together with a German company KFV that will start again in 2024 and will totally transform the village" concludes the vice president./ tch

Fix Fare/ Leave it like in the "Iron Age" without sewers, sewage flows