Coastline investment by WB and EIB given to Italian company Putignano

TIRANA, Jan.25 – The Albanian Minister of Public Works, Transport and Telecommunication declared on Friday that the ministry he heads assigned a 13.25 million euro ($17.2 million) ecosystem protection project to Italian company Putignano.
The Integrated Water and Ecosystem Management Project will improve significantly the wastewater services in the coastal cities of Durres, Shengjin, Sarande and Lezhe, both on the Adriatic and the Ionian Seas. The project is jointly funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the European Investment Bank, the Luxembourg Development Fund and the government of Albania. The project will aim at an integrated approach to ecosystem management based on the reduction of nutrients through the development and establishment of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. The project includes the repair of sewerage systems and their connection to the wetlands, as well as management improvement of two key areas: the Kune-Vain natural reserve, in the northwest, and of the Durres area, on the Adriatic. The combined aim is to address the needs of 250.000 inhabitants up to 2022. GEF and WB will specifically collaborate in the 8.5 million euro investment for Durres. The Saranda projects targets the connecting canal of the largest hotel in the southern coastal city, Butrinti, to the Cuka canalization and avoid direct waste disposal to the sea. This 2.7 million euro investment will be supported by the Albanian government that will waive the custom and taxation fees for the building materials.