TIRANA, Jan. 11 – After the deluge registered in the past week, which was responsible for the flooding of hundreds of homes and thousands of hectares of agricultural land as well as several damages to road infrastructure across Albania, the situation in affected areas has significantly improved following amelioration in weather conditions. Flood waters have completely receded from all residences, while the total surface of land submerged under water has almost disappeared.
Shkumbin and Erzen rivers in central Albania, which burst their banks last week, have returned to their beds, while the collapsed embankment of the Shkumbin River near Lushnja, was fixed with sand bags over the weekend with the help of army units. Power has been restored and water pumps in the area are reported to be fully operational.
Albania’s Interior Ministry said that aid packages, including food items and blankets, were distributed to flood victims. Meanwhile, local authorities have began picking up debris and the assessment of damages caused by the deluge.Besides private properties, the flooding has damaged road infrastructure and the electric distribution network. Excessive flow of the Shkumbin River was responsible for the collapse of two bridges in Peqin district with 6,000 people in nearby villages getting isolated as a result.
The river also devoured a 70 meter segment of the national road that links Elbasan with Librazhd near Xibrake, leaving only one lane open in that particular spot.Local residents in the hardest hit areas say that they are struggling to cope with flood’s aftermath as many saw their homes and furniture get severely damaged by the flood.
The first week of 2016 in Albania was marked by heavy and persistent rain which caused flooding in its central and western regions. As a result, hundreds of homes were submerged in water, while authorities had to evacuate several families throughout Albania, which were under the immediate threat of rising water levels. The army had to be called in to provide relief operations that consisted of hundreds of troops, heavy equipment, and a Cougar helicopter.
According to the World Bank, Albania is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to destructive weather events. For Albania’s recent spike in floods, experts blame the lack of serious efforts to prevent soil erosion, deforestation, as well as the reckless exploitation of river beds for construction materials- all exacerbating factors in the natural disasters that have hit the country lately.
The frequency of flooding in Albania has increased over the last couple of years, whereas the map of territories threatened by floods has also experienced an expansion, including areas where flooding has previously been unheard of. Floods in turn have had a negative impact, not only on the agricultural sector, but also on the Albanian economy as a whole.
