Deputy Prime Minister Niko Peleshi was today in Fier to inspect the situation created by the recent rainfall.

Deputy Prime Minister met with the working groups operating in the field, and with representatives of local government. Deputy Prime Minister Peleshi said that the project for the rehabilitation of the river Gjanica adopted in the National Council for the Territory and that its implementation will be a common challenge of central and local institutions. “At the current stage we have approved the project for the rehabilitation of the river Gjanica in the National Council for the Territory. We have compiled a list of buildings to be expropriated. We need to complement it with the detailed project. Our common challenge today between central and local institutions is to develop a thorough engineering project, and it is the duty of all citizens to not even think that constructions like these here can be done again. ”

On the second day of inspection in this area, after meetings with local residents, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that a working group will determine all damages for which concerned people will be held accountable. “The government is not satisfied with highlighting issues and does not exempts itself from its responsibility, although the problems have been accumulated in 25 years. We are committed to do in three years what has not been done in the past 25 years. Of course, everyone damaged by flooding will have our support” – Mr. Peleshi said.

In addition, Deputy Prime Minister Peleshi inspected the flooded areas in Levan. Employees of water pumping stations informed that the Deputy Prime Minister that the waterworks of Hoxhare covering the area work with full efficiency and are normally supplied with electricity. They showed their concerns about the secondary drainage canals which must undergo immediate intervention for cleaning.

Deputy Prime Minister Peleshi informed that the government has an ambitious plan for cleaning the drainage canals within a period of three years. Deputy Prime Minister also announced that the project for the canal Vjosë Levan-Fier has been completed and is expected to be implemented next year.

“The government has made a very ambitious plan to clean within three years approximately 270 ha of agricultural land that today is covered by drainage canals. We have cleared so far 32 thousand hectares across the entire territory of Albania. It still remains a larger area, but 40 million Euros, already contracted to the World Bank, have been allocated for the area of Lushnja and Fier only, and the project will be implemented start next year. 6 million Euros are being implemented in 16 spots all over Albania, prevention projects, embankments, protection from river erosion. We have set the target to complete interventions in 16 spots, in order to be ready for winter. The state budget has given strong priority to the Ministry of Agriculture and to the program for irrigation and drainage canals.”

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the local government will take a direct role in this process, and this as a result of decentralization not only of the competence and responsibility of local governments, but also of the funds, resources and machineries.

Considering this problem accumulated in 25 years as a major and emergency challenge, the Deputy Prime Minister concluded that “We must all be aware that we need to build new relations with the territory, nature, agricultural land, road, with canals, with the city; we must increase our accountability in relation with nature and everything surrounding us.”