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Corruption with waste contracts is sabotaging tourism in Vlora

2024-09-19 21:34:00, Denoncim CNA

Corruption with waste contracts is sabotaging tourism in Vlora

Vlora Landfill

Dumani suspects that the annual open field burning of waste is intentional and aims to eliminate the mountain of waste, as plans to launch a new landfill in Sherishte fail year after year.

For years during the tourist season, Vlora wakes up covered in smoke from burning garbage in the collection field on the outskirts of the city.

The apocalyptic scenes of smoke covering Vlora, like the one on July 25, have left tourists who visit the city and its surroundings to enjoy the sea speechless and have put tour operators in a difficult position. Meanwhile, the city's residents have been suffering for years from the heavy smell coming from the waste field and the health problems they bring.

"I am very far away, 1.5-2 kilometers as the crow flies, but night after night we smell the waste burning in the waste field in Vlora," says Niko Dumani, a local environmental activist.

Fire in the waste field in Vlora, firefighters go to the scene
July 12, 16:51

"This is directly affecting the lives of the citizens of Vlora and those visiting the city, as the burning waste, mainly plastic, emits dioxins and other poisonous gases," he added.

The Sherishta Landfill is part of an integrated waste management project in the Vlora region worth 20.8 million euros financed by KfW, of which 12.5 million euros are loans paid by the Albanian government and the rest grants.

The project was entrusted to the company 'Integrated Technology Services' of Klodian Zoto and has been stuck since the seizure of the company by decision of the Special Court and the escape from justice of its owner, convicted twice by the court for corruption and money laundering with concessions of incinerators in Elbasan and Fier.

Photomontage - Klodian Zoto

The works at the Sherishta landfill should have been completed in 2021 and officially, representatives of the Municipality of Vlora have stated several times that the landfill will be put into operation.

However, the Municipality of Vlora told BIRN in a written response that there is still no project for closing the works that remained on the road, nor a deadline for putting the landfill into operation.

"The completion of the unrealized works will enable the commissioning of the Sherishta Landfill, but we cannot predict at this moment an exact deadline for the completion of the works and the handover of the plant by the Municipality of Vlora," the official response states. .

Environmental crisis

The city of Vlora is not the only one in a situation of environmental emergency, even after the Albanian government spent millions of euros on concessions for the construction of incinerators or landfills like the one in Sherishta, which also remained unfinished.

These projects fell into the hands of Klodian Zoto and his partner in business, Mirel Mërtiri and their close circle, already convicted by the Special Court for corruption and laundering the proceeds of the criminal offense.

Photomontage - Mirel Mërtiri and Klodian Zoto

As a result, the Elbasan incinerator works only partially, bringing a mountain of waste to the Shkumbin River. The incinerator and landfill in Fier are unfinished and the waste disposal there without a wastewater treatment plant has turned it into an ecological time bomb for the area. The situation is similar in Tirana, where the incinerator was never built.

The works at the Sherishta landfill were blocked after the seizure of the company "Integrated Technology Services" and it is unclear how much work is needed to complete them.

The environmental activist, Niko Dumani, says that in the meetings held, the authorities claim that only 7 percent of the project has remained unfinished. "But no one says what this 7% is", said Dumani, while questioning the claims raised.

The municipality of Vlora is also unable to say what is left unfinished from the project and how much these additional works will cost. In response to the request for information, the Municipality told BIRN that it is cooperating with a technical consultant to enable the resumption of stalled works from 2021, implying that even for them it is unclear what works should be carried out.

Municipality of Vlora

"The Technical Consultant is working on the preparation of projects for the still unrealized works of the Component "Construction of the Sherishta Landfill" and also of the Component "Closing the site of existing deposits". At the end of these projects, we will have a complete and accurate forecast of the works to be carried out and the corresponding costs for carrying out these works," said the Municipality of Vlora.

As long as the solution is missing, despite the fact that millions of euros have been spent, Vlora remains at the mercy of the smoke that comes out of the constantly burning waste.

"The situation is extremely critical. The residents of Vlora are all constantly exposed to a cancerous smoke, without a doubt," says Ermal Çukani from the Community Hub Vlora movement.

Sabotaging tourism

Businesses and civil society actors in Vlora have little faith that the situation will be resolved. Mikel Zinxhiria, one of the tourist operators in the city, says that the mismanagement of waste and its continuous burning has damaged them and often put them in a difficult position in front of tourists.

"We didn't know how to explain to them what was happening, as the situation continued for more than a week in August and smog and smoke engulfed the city as far as Karaburu and Sazan," he says.

"It has a high impact on our image and work. After this year there were 2 times of more than 1 week where the city was drowned in smoke and stench," he added.

The chain says it is pessimistic that the situation will be fixed as long as local authorities do not yet have a plan. He also points out that they, as an interest group, are not listened to and meetings are held face-to-face.

"The fact that there is no deadline shows that at least next year we will have the same fate as this year. Waste is removed using premium methods, regardless of the budget disbursed for this work," says Zinxira.

Even Ermal Çukani has no hope that the crisis will be resolved quickly, while he emphasizes that their complaints and petitions have fallen on deaf ears.

"The situation is tragic and the residents of the area are exposed almost every day to wind and smoke. We organized a series of petitions a year ago that were not heard. We have had meetings with the mayor, the prefect, and the deputies, but we have not been heard. The municipality of Vlora, as we speak today, has no plan to change this situation," he concluded. / BIRN.