Albania, experts question the environmental monitoring of heavy industry

2023-04-17 19:02:49, Sociale CNA

Environmental experts raise doubts about the quality of the environmental self-monitoring reports of heavy industry companies in the city of Elbasan, which do not reflect the pollution that is often seen with the eyes and felt in the air.

Early in the morning, the city of Elbasan and the surrounding areas are covered by a veil of gray smoke, which stands out in the distance from the curves of the road that connects it to Tirana. Smoke billows from chimneys and wafts into the air from heavy industry operating in the ruins of the former Metallurgical plant on the outskirts of the city.

But even though pollution is visible and often felt in the air, heavy industry companies submit monitoring reports to the National Environment Agency that present clean air.

Through a right to information request, BIRN obtained from the National Environment Agency the self-monitoring reports for the years 2020-2022 of the companies Albchrome, Kurum, RBH BELINE and the incinerator company, Albtek Energy.

According to these reports, the level of dust particles in the air and gases harmful to health is in all cases below the limit set by the Albanian government. Even in some cases, even at the optimal levels determined by the European Union.

Reports submitted by private companies to the National Environment Agency contrast with independent monitoring conducted by environmental organizations. A monitoring carried out by Co Plan and the Ecological Club for the period 2019 - 2021 evidences higher amounts of harmful gases and dust particles in the city.

"Self-monitoring is a formal thing to be in order with the law, but the way the self-monitoring is organized, required and implemented is in flagrant contradiction with the law. Because we made measurements at that time that they came out positive and the pollution in the city was triple-quadruple and the pollution in the metallurgical, where the self-monitoring is done, was up to 8 times and he gave it as normal", says Ahmet Mehmeti, environmental expert and chairman of the Elbasan Ecological Club.

Ekspertët kritikojnë gjithashtu ligjin për monitorimet si të bërë keq e të zbatuar edhe më keq, ndërsa theksojnë se raportet e vetëmonitorimit duhet të kontrollohen nga autoritete të pavarura për të testuar vërtetësinë e tyre.

“Në rastin tonë, vetëmonitorimi ka kaluar po themi në abuzim në momentin që autoriteti kontrollues nuk e u shtron më funksionin e vet dhe në këtë rast është do thoja Agjencia Kombëtare e Mjedisit, e cila merr dhe i kërkon ligjërisht raportet e vetëmonitorimit dhe kryen njëlloj ballafaqimi me faktin, me realitetin”, thotë Rodion Gjoka, ekspert mjedisor në Institutin Co-PLAN.

Agjencia Kombëtare e Mjedisit thotë se kompanitë private respektojnë detyrimet ligjore për monitorimet, duke i kryer ato përmes pajisjeve apo laboratorëve të akredituar. Ndërkohë, Agjencia i zhvlerëson krahasimet mes monitorimeve të ndryshme të ajrit në zonën e Elbasanit.

“Për të bërë krahasime të matjeve për indikatorë të ndryshëm mjedisorë, mostrat duhet të merren në të njëjtat pika monitorimi, në të njëjtin hark kohor, në të njëjtat kushte dhe sipas metodave standarde ISO”.

Pasojat e situatës së krijuar i vuajnë banorët e qytetit dhe të gjithë rajonit, të cilët përballen me probleme të shëndetit dhe kostot e ndotjes në zonë.

"In the city of Elbasan and the region of Elbasan, the effects are catastrophic. Diseases increased many times compared to the past: cancerous diseases, lung diseases, skin diseases, so all types of diseases are different from other cities", says Ahmet Mehmeti, environmental expert and chairman of the Elbasan Ecological Club.

According to experts, pollution is the main source of increased morbidity in this area./ VOA