In Albania, one of the last wild rivers in Europe threatened by a dam

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Located in Albania, the Vjosa is the last wild river in Europe and could be threatened by a large dam project Laurent Geslin / RFI

The wilderness attracts more and more tourists to the south of Albania. In the region of Përmet, we are counting on a responsible development - respectful of the environment - but everything could be put in question if the plans of dams of the authorities came to be realized. The government of Edi Rama wants to build a large dam on the Vjosa, one of the last wild rivers in Europe.

It is one of the last wild rivers of the continent. It is a blue pearl that stretches 270 kilometers from the Pindus mountains to the Adriatic Sea above Vlora in Albania. On the first part of its course, in Greece, it is called Aoos, then it takes the name of Vjosa. But the entire river is threatened by the construction of 38 dams on its watershed.

" The governments that have been following each other for fifteen years have all focused on the development of hydroelectric power stations to support the explosion of energy consumption and to turn the construction sector. The projects have multiplied, about 500 throughout the country , says Olsi Nika, the director of the NGO Eco Albania. We have already exploited 45% of the potential of our rivers and it is time for Albania to start diversifying its energy mix, for example with solar energy. Above all, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of the distribution system : about 30% of the energy produced is lost. "

One of the poorest regions of Albania

In the south of the country, isolated near the Greek border, the municipalities of Përmet, Kelcyra and Tepelena follow each other along the Vjosa and are among the poorest in Albania. It has only been a few years since good roads connect the region with Tirana, the capital. Since the fall of the communist dictatorship in 1991, the inhabitants have been massively migrating to Greece. This perspective has become much less attractive in the last decade, following the debt crisis. At the time of the " regime ", the city of Përmet had only small agro-food industries - producing wine, spirits or preserves, which were among the few export products of the country and were consumed until Cuba.

Near the city, these ancient " combines " are nothing but ruins, even if small factories have emerged: they now bet on quality and bio, in a country where controls are nonexistent. Eftali and his partner produce gliko , candied fruits and vegetables that are produced locally. " We got the slow food label, like many peasants and restaurateurs in the Përmet region, " she says. In high season, we are obliged to hire about twenty people to run the business and we sell our canned food to tourists and to Tirana . "

Near the city of Përmet, three dams have already modified the groundwater of a tributary

" Përmet is known for its food, for its natural and cultural riches, but also for outdoor activities that can be practiced there. The town is an ideal playground for adventure sports, such as trekking or rafting, explains Giorgio Ponti, local head of the Italian NGO Cesvi, which has been involved for two decades in cooperation projects with Albania . For the past three or four years, there have been more and more visitors and now about 300 people live on tourism. This primer of responsible development, based on the preservation of the environment, could be broken in one blow by dams. "

The course of the Langarica, tributary of the Vjosa, which flows into the river about ten kilometers from Përmet, is already affected by the operation of three small power stations. " These dams were built in the Bredhi Hotoves Natural Park and have serious consequences. In this karst region, they have notably modified the circulation of groundwater, "continues Giogio Ponti. An old Ottoman bridge marks the entrance to the canyon, one of the natural jewels of the Përmet valley. Around, the rock has formed natural pools fed by hot springs. There is no spa, but connoisseurs come to enjoy the virtues of sulfur waters.

Intensive fishing " is not the only problem : sewers are not treated and all end up in the river "

Before becoming a guide, Ilir paced the rivers and mountains of Përmet for a long time. " My father told me how fish was abundant in the days of communism, even if people had only rudimentary canes they made themselves, " says the young man in his twenties. Fish was a precious food resource in a time of deprivation. " Today is no longer the same: people are fishing with nets and, after the riots of 1997, when Albania was in chaos, some even used dynamite. This is not the only problem : Përmet's sewers are not treated and all end up in the river. "

Launched by a group of NGOs, including Eco Albania, the Save the Blue Heart of Europe campaign tries to federate citizen mobilizations that are developing in Albania as well as in all the Balkans.

Economic benefits of very limited dams

The " blue gold " that descends mountains is indeed considered one of the main assets of the region and arouses all the lusts. This is despite the fact that the real economic benefits of the dams are very limited and create no sustainable job creation. " Construction companies have their own employees and plant management is almost fully automated," says Olsi Nika. People get caught up in the myth of development, they give up their land for a pittance and then, when they have nothing left, they just have to emigrate. "

Government promised stop of dam projects

" Ten years ago, I would have been for the dams, because I thought it could create jobs, " said Taulant, who returned to build his rafting business with friends after working for several years in Greece. " But today, I would be the first to take to the streets to demonstrate against these projects ."

The young man may soon have the opportunity to mobilize: the end of 2017, the Albanian Ministry of Energy announced that the Kalivaç dam project, whose construction had been stopped a few years earlier, would be taken over by a Turkish society. A concrete wall 350 meters long and 45 meters high could soon drown 1,700 hectares and several villages. Before being elected, Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama promised to stop dam projects on the Vjosa. But the weight of energy and construction lobbies once again proved the strongest.

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The old Ottoman bridge that marks the entrance to the gorge of Langarica. Laurent Geslin / RFI