UK engineers help with severe floods

TIRANA, Jan. 19 – Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and the Energy Ministry called for help from Italy and now we learn also from Britain.
An Italian adviser to the prime minister came and assisted local authorities on the management of the Drini River waters.
British engineers also advised the Albanian government after several villages in Shkodra, northwest Albania, were flooded due to heavy rainfall and melting snow.
A delegation from the project development company, Zumax A G, with assistance from British and Swiss engineers, was present recently in Albania.
The team visited the region to assess the situation and develop plans to overcome the flooding.
The Zumax team met Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha last week and outlined a three stage plan for the problems. “Zumax has an office in Tirana,” said Zumax project director Philip George. “We’ve developed a good relationship with the government.”
Zumax is now preparing a more detailed report for the Prime Minister following the team’s assessments in the region. The report is expected to be delivered soon.
During the delegation’s visit, the Albanian government provided a helicopter to enable the Zumax team to travel around the area and meet the affected people. The team toured the river flood dykes which had been breached and saw the temporary repairs that had been carried out by teams of volunteers and the Albanian army.
The team also flew over the village of Obot which was still under water and had been badly affected. Nearby, the village at Pentari had been submerged to a depth of over 2m.
The Ministries of Economy, Interior and Defense provided assistance to the Zumax team during the visit, making it possible to carry out an extensive review of the situation in just three days, said George. Zumax is a Swiss company with Anglo-Swiss management. It plans to establish co-operation agreements with Albania engineers and contractors to enable solutions to the problem of illegal building in areas vulnerable to flooding. The company aims to offer its international experience to the re-emerging Albanian economy through technical assistance and direction.