Residents of Zall-Gjocaj in the North of Albania have been protesting in Tirana over the construction of hydropower plants within the Zall-Gjocaj National Park.
They congregated outside the Court of Appeals this week after the Administrative Court of the First Instance ruled against the lawsuit brought by nine individuals. They claimed that the construction of dams and power plants within a protected area was not allowed, yet the court did not agree.
One activist, Aurora Leka, told Citizens Channel that constructing the plants continues at a rapid pace. She noted that this should not be allowed inside a National Park, which is supposed to be protected, adding that even cows cannot graze within its boundaries.
Another resident, 70-year-old Adem Xhokola, said that the works for the Seke HPP on the river Uraka has resulted in the death of all the trout in the river. This has left a scum on the surface of the water.
The reason for the protest was to ask that the courts function according to the rule of law and to consider the negative impact the construction has on their lives, and of course, on a protected area.
To make it to Tirana, the residents walked for two hours and then traveled another four with vehicles.
“We woke up at 4 in the morning to tell Albanian justice to apply the laws,” one protestor said.
Residents from other parts of the country impacted by hydropower also attended the protest.
“HPP is not for the people; it’s for the pockets of the oligarchs; everything has been privatized,” they said.
After the protest, the Administrative Court of Appeals stated that they are facing a high workload with a seven-judge panel having to deal with some 16,850 files.
“The judicial body is still adjudicating the cases registered with this court in 2016, while the cases mentioned above were registered for trial in 2020 and 2021,” they said, addressing the concerns of the delay.
But residents said they do not have time to waste as irreparable damage is being done to their homes, the environment, and land that has been in their communities for centuries, which is also a National Park.
In February, residents of the area protested in front of SPAK after filing a report against various officials, including Minister of Tourism Blendi Klosi.
The plants originally received permits in 2018.
Rama said in July 2020 that he would no longer issue permits for small HPPs as they are “useless and harmful,” but nothing was done about those that had already been published, most of which are in protected areas.
An investigation by journalist Artan Rama revealed that the government has approved a total of 714 concession contracts for hydropower plants but has only publicly announced only half of them. Concession contracts are issued before HP construction permits are issued.
Located in northeastern Albania, the area comprises over 202 square km and encompasses the former Zall-Gjocaj National Park and Deje Mountain. It was established as a National Park in 1966 to protect the various flora and fauna within.
It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a Category II and is home to brown bears, lynx, wolfs, pine martens, roe deer, golden eagles, and beech, fir, pine, ash, and maple trees. With its borders, it also contains twelve glacial lakes that were formed during the ice age.
Residents of the local area have opposed the projects saying they would deprive them of access to water and damage the environment.
