UNEP(DEC)/MED/GEF/198/3 7 January 2002 ENGLISH MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN First Meeting of the ad-hoc Technical Committee to select pollution hot spots for the preparation of pre-investment studies within the GEF Project Athens, 28-29 January 2002 REVISION OF POLLUTION HOT SPOTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRY REPORTS In cooperation with WHO UNEP Athens, 2002 Introduction The project on “Formulation of a Strategic Action Programme for the Mediterranean Sea to address pollution from land-based activities” supported by GEF, was implemented within the framework of the MED POL programme during 1997 and 1998. The project aimed specifically to develop a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the protection of the Mediterranean sea against degradation, and in particularly pollution from land-based activities. One of the most important components was related to priority pollution hot spots and sensitive areas, in order to have a global situation in the Mediterranean. The final product resulted in lists of pollution hot spots and sensitive areas of national priority, which were compiled according to the country reports prepared by national or international consultants with the assistance and input of the MED POL National Coordinators. Following the above project, a more detailed one was approved, which is also supported by GEF and related to the “Determination of priority actions for the further elaboration and implementation of the Strategic Action Programme for the Mediterranean Sea”. The innovative component of this project is the preparation of a plan of identification of sources of pollution and their control, which will be included in pre-investment studies. These studies will be prepared in order to assist countries in protecting the environment and coastal zones through prevention of pollution and by reduction and, as far as possible, elimination of pollutant inputs, and to also assist donors in making their financial contribution. In order to prepare the pre-investment studies, there is a need to prioritize the pollution hot spots in the Mediterranean taking also into consideration the potential risk of a transboundary effect and the financial aspect of the measures required to abate pollution. As in the past, the above task was entrusted to WHO/EURO, within the framework of the MED POL Phase III Programme. For this purpose the GEF-eligible countries were asked to revise the already existing lists as they were included in the MAP Technical Reports Series issue no. 124 and to make eventual changes related to new data and information, based on surveys or new measurements and analyses carried out in the meantime. In the new lists, changes were made on the pollution hot spots in relation to the following: (a) the reduction of pollution loads; (b) the elimination of pollution sources, (c) the measures taken for progressive or immediate decrease of loads polluting the sea; (d) the existence of another pollution hot spots with greater impact to human health and the environment than the listed ones; and (e) the inappropriate inclusion in the list. New hot spots are also indicated and supported by relevant data on pollution load, collection, treatment and disposal of municipal and industrial wastewater. The present report includes the revised country reports on pollution hot spots, which were prepared by national experts taking into consideration the existing ones and were also adopted by the MED POL National Coordinators. REVISION OF POLLUTION HOT SPOTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Country report for A L B A N I A Acknowledgements · Mr. Emil Gjika, GEF Focal Point, who collected the available data and filled out the questionnaires. · Mr. Gani Deliu of CEP, who provided useful information on the state of the coastal sea. · Mr. Kosta Koci, University of Tirana. · Mr. Veli Puka, Instiute of Hydrometeorology, who provided information on the concentrations of pesticides and chlorinated hydrocarbons, and on river pollution. · Mr. Gazmend Gjtli, Director of The Research Institute of Chemical Technology, who provided information on industrial waste dumping sites. · Mr. Lirim Selfo, Chairman of CEP, for acting as an intermediary with various government offices in order to obtain all the available information. Prepared in 1997 by: Mr Ante Bariæ Revised in 2001 by: Dr. Tatjana Hema Ms Mirela Kamberi 1. INTRODUCTION Albania is a small country covering 28,748 km2 and has approximately 3.3 million inhabitants. It is mostly mountainous with hills and mountains accounting for 2/3 of the territory. The coastal area opens to the Adriatic and lonian Seas. The total length of the coastline is 476 km, of which 200 km in the north are on a coastal plain up to 50 km wide. All Albania's rivers belong to the Mediterranean watershed. The population of the wider coastal area is approximately 1.3 million, and two towns on the coast have more than 100,000 inhabitants: Durres in the northern part, and Vlora in the south, where the Adriatic and lonian Seas meet. In the north, the town of Lezhe has around 50,000 inhabitants, and in the far south the town of Saranda has some 25,000 inhabitants. From the end of World War II until 1990, Albania was virtually isolated from the rest of the world, which resulted in severe economic underdevelopment despite considerable natural resources. The social transformation that started in 1990 brought about economic changes. Practically all industries, which had been large-scale polluters, were closed down, but some of the dumping sites created earlier are still active and remain significant sources of pollution. However, the principal source of the coastal sea pollution is the urban wastewater discharged directly into the sea without any treatment, mostly through open canals and numerous outlets, as well as by the rivers. Hot spots were identified on the basis of analyses of available data, completed questionnaires, and direct contacts with the representatives of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) and the SAP Focal Point during the visit to Tirana. Unfortunately, the amount of data available was rather limited. Moreover, those that were available do not usually reflect the actual situation as in the last few years considerable changes have occurred with regard to sources of pollution. 2. PROCEDURE FOLLOWED IN IDENTIFYING HOT SPOTS In order to identify hot spots, the given criteria were used, and the towns of Durres and Vlora, with more than 100,000 inhabitants each, were selected, together with the rivers of Drini, Mati, Semani and Shkumbini, with average flows greater than 30 m3/s. In addition, two locations in the vicinity of Durres and Vlora that had been used in the past for depositing toxic industrial waste were selected, as they represented a constant threat to the coastal sea. 3. CONTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENT SOURCES TO DEFINED HOT SPOTS Principal supporting data Hot spots Main sources of pollution extracted from the questionnaires Durres - Domestic - BOD 2,864 t/y - Ntot 477 t/y - Ptot 95.5 t/y - TSS 4,300 t/y 9 - FC 10 col/100 ml ex PVC factory in Vlora Leakage from chloralkaline plant Area of approximately 11 ha contaminated by elemental mercury ex chemical factory, Lalzi Bay, Industrial solid waste Deposit of approximately 20,000 t Durres of solid waste containing 4-5% of hexavalent chromium 4. PRIORITY HOT SPOTS The town of Durres is located ni the central section of the northern part of the Albanian coast. Owing to its geographical position, it has developed into the most important harbour in Albania. Long sand beaches spread south to the town and along them there are numerous houses, once used as holiday homes by State officials and now permanently populated by immigrants from inland. North of the town there are a number of industrial plants, most of which have ceased production, probably permanently. Most domestic wastewaters are collected by a sewerage system and discharged through an open canal into Lalzi Bay north of the town. The canal is also used to receive untreated industrial wastewaters A small amount of domestic wastewaters from some of the houses located along the beach is discharged without any treatment directly onto the beach through numerous small outlets. Several kilometres north of the town there was a chemical factory that produced chromium salts and other products. The solid wastes were deposited within the factory premises so today there is a contaminated area of approximately 5 ha covered by some 20,000 t of waste containing 4-5 per cent of hexavalent chromium salts. In places the depth of the layer reaches up to 2 m. Rains wash away the chromium salts and transport them into the nearby sewer, and thus the chrome reaches the sea. The town of Vlora is situated in the southern part of the country, on the coast of Vlora Bay. North of the town there are many industrial plants, most of which are not operational, while to the south there is a sandy beach. The urban wastewaters are collected by a separate sewerage system, and some 2/3 are discharged into the sea north of the town through an open canal, while 1/3 ends up into the sea south of the town through several outlets at the beach. Vlora Bay is a semi-enclosed basin framed on the outside by the Karaburmi peninsula, while the opening is further reduced by the small island of Sazan. The bottom of the bay, between the town of Vlora in the east and Cape Galloveci in the west, is covered by Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, the most important in the country. Vlora Bay and its Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows could be classified as a protected seascape, and part of it as a fishery reserve. The bay is threatened by the urban wastewaters of the population of approximately 200,000 living around it, especially since these are discharged into the bay without any treatment.