The regional landfill for the management of solid urban waste in the south coast is being built in the village of Bajkaj in Saranda. The first phase of construction has been completed. The investments total 5.6 million dollars. Prime Minister Edi Rama and Minister of Urban Development Eglantina Gjermeni were today in Bajkaj to follow the progress of this investment.

With a capacity of 365,000 m3, the landfill has been calculated for the deposit of 25,000 m3 of waste / year. After the new territorial reform, it will serve the municipalities of Saranda, Himara and Delvina. It will enable the closure of existing waste landfills and will serve the entire southern coastal area. Equipped with water treatment plant, it will reduce the contamination of groundwater at maximum. The landfill of Bajkaj is estimated to provide collection and integrated waste management for the next 20 years.

Stressing the importance of the project for cleaning and improving environmental conditions in the south coast, the Prime Minister considered it a historical turning point for tourism in Albania.

“The first goal is to clean every place infected by landfills that have no standards and by the garbage collected randomly over the years. Then the goal is to ensure that the entire collection system in all local units in Himara, Saranda and Konispol will function, so that this investment will turn into an example of environmental maintenance throughout the area. In addition, the territorial reform is of great help in this regard, because it comes no longer to dozens of municipalities with miserable budgets and insufficient human resources, but it comes to 5 municipalities that will have sufficient budgets and opportunities to have qualified human resources, so that all this treasure resort is liberated from the nightmare of fertilizers that actually have badly damaged the image and the desire of many tourists to come to this area. So this is a turning point for the area and for tourism in Albania”- the Prime Minister said.

The regional landfill of Bajkaj is part of a project funded by the World Bank for integrated management and cleaning of coastal areas. Infrastructure and rehabilitation of the south coast is the most important component of this project, with an overall value of 35 million dollars. This project has successfully funded also the construction of a waste transfer station in Himara, worth 608,504 dollars.

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The green crown is back in Saranda. With a fund of 16.6 million ALL the government enabled the afforestation and greening of the city’s crown. Mediterranean pine and cypress have been planted in an area of 50 hectares. Accompanied by local MPs, Prime Minister Rama inspected the work done on the ground.

Director of Saranda Forest Department Kristo Kauri said that 22 thousand pine and cypress 4215 have been added to Saranda’s crown thanks to this funding. “The crown must be protected at any cost. The investment here is 16.6 million ALL and Saranda feels privileged. Thank you for helping us for this “.

Prime Minister Rama stressed the government’s goal is to recover greenery throughout Albania, and ensured that the support will be extended to the preservation and maintenance of forests.

“We will continue this work further. We will raise another fund to continue the counter attack to recover the situation through the greenery in the great devastation that has been made over all these years. Of course we will find the opportunity to support preservation and maintenance because without preservation and maintenance everything is thrown into the sea. This year, we planted throughout Albania 2.5 million seedlings in the first year and the objective is to reach 10 million seedlings by the end of the term. Of course, here the coast has its place and Saranda has its place.”

The revitalization of the city’s green crown has an impact not only to improve the natural landscape, but also the environmental parameters.

 

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In Saranda, Prime Minister Rama inspected also works for the wastewater treatment plant. This investment provides a final solution to coastal water pollution in Ksamil and Saranda.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of this investment, especially for ending the flow of wastewater into the sea. “This is an investment that frees Saranda and Ksamili together that have been blocked for years. Other money wasted, as in many other projects with foreign funding, without consideration of how it works or how it will be maintained. It is great that it started working. Now, the recent investment to make the connection with the hotel “Butrinti” the scheme is completed and wastewater will no longer end into the sea and on the streets”- the Prime Minister said.

The plant has not worked for years because of the lack of pipe connection between the plant and the sewer line of the city’s wastewater.

Last year, thanks to an investment of the General Directorate of Water Supply and Sewerage (GDWSS) work began to complete the project and have the plant working.

 

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Qeparo was the next stop of Prime Minister Rama who, accompanied by the Mayor of Himara Jorgo Goro, Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade and Enterprise Arben Ahmetaj and area’s MP Koco Kokëdhima, inspected works for the construction of the promenade.

The project envisages the arrangement of the underground infrastructure, the construction of sidewalks and lighting.

Mayor of Himara noted that the area lacked investment by previous governments, but thanks to current investments the area is being transformed radically and residents are being created opportunities to increase their investments in order to develop tourism. Also, he expressed confidence for further investment growth due to the new territorial division that makes Himara a larger municipality.

“These investments are transforming our municipality radically and citizens and residents are created opportunities to enjoy the city and to increase investment in tourism. We believe that thanks to the new organization that is being done in the region by making it a large municipality, the Government will pay even more attention to it as it is doing today”- Mayor of Himara Jorgo Goro said.

For Prime Minister Rama these investments and transformations are made to be available for tourists in this summer season, but at the same time they enable people to invest by keeping the characteristics of the area.

“This is a new model of development of the area that defends the Ionian coast from the inertia of the barbarism of many years and transforms it into a tourist reborn space. In addition, it enables residents and those who have emigrated to increase their investments within a model that determines the preservation of the characteristics and tradition in construction. It will welcome visitors and tourists coming from other parts of Albania or even from abroad, with a look and content completely transformed. We are very aware that there is still much to do, but I am convinced that all those who come this season on this coast and particularly in Qeparo will see with their own eyes that this transformation promises a lot and the Albanian Renaissance in this rich and wonderful tourist area will bring what, unfortunately, the area and the whole country has been lacking for 20 years “- Prime Minister Edi Rama said.