Residents in the villages of Sang and Thirrë i Mirditë protested on Friday against the construction of a hydropower plant.
They described its construction as “life-threatening”.
One protester said: “I am the oldest here. We lived with this water and this mountain because we were not appreciated. We sat by the mountain. Now they want to take us, and the water. Then they will take our souls. I am 87 years old “.
Residents have risen in protest after the start of works for the construction of the hydropower plant in the area of Mirdita.
They claim that the company “Sang1” has falsified the signatures in the legal documents to obtain the permit for the construction of the hydropower plant in Thirrë-Sang, and the drinking water factory in Krazhna.
“We take water 3 km and 200 m from the Qarri stream to Sang and from ’90 until today we have half the land without irrigation because we have no water. They are taking what little water we have and we will be left with nothing “said a resident.
They stated that they have filed a lawsuit with the prosecutor’s office for forgery of signatures and a complaint in the municipality of Mirdita.
This is the latest in a series of protests and lawsuits against the construction of HPPs in Albania. In Valbone, citizens have been protesting against the construction of several HPPs that they say will destroy the local area and the livelihoods of those that live there.
They have also made complaints about the forgery of signatures and the misappropriation of names and ID numbers on documents submitted to the court.
In an interview with Exit, CEO of Patagonia Ryan Gellert said that hydropower is not green, is not sustainable, and contributes to the extinction of flora and fauna and the displacement of humans.
He added that the concept of HPPs being environmentally friendly is outdated and “the negatives outweigh the benefits 100%.”
