Albania
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Highlights
Albania's Environmental Portfolio has four clusters, one of them being 'Wetland project + formulation of Marine Biodiversity project'.
Experience and Lessons
Overview of Water Resources
Country Water Profile
Water Resources
Albania is rich in water resources, including rivers, groundwater, lakes, lagoons and seas. Overall its resources exceed by far its consumption, although locally water shortage and conflicts among users may occur in the dry season. The hydrographic basin of Albania covers 43,305 km2, of which 28,748 km2 lie within its boundaries. The rest (i.e. 33 per cent) is in Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Yugoslavia, so Albania shares upstream and downstream water resources with its neighbours. Albania's 247 natural lakes are an important component of the country's hydrographical network. Resources are unevenly distributed throughout the country. The major water resource is surface water, and is found in rivers, lakes, and lagoons.
Despite being naturally rich in water, Albania suffers from a shortage of available drinking water. This is partly because the rainfall is unevenly distributed across the country and partly because more than two thirds of the water is lost during transport and distribution as a consequence of the obsolete supply infrastructure. The towns are supplied with drinking water for only a few hours each day while, in rural regions, the public supply does not even reach one citizen in two. In all rural areas as well as in the majority of towns, sewage is discharged in an uncontrolled manner. The consequences are that water is contaminated and the environment polluted; gastrointestinal illnesses are very common.
Water and the Albanian Economy
Much of Albania’s economic activity is dependent on the utilization of water resources. Over 90 percent of energy production is from hydropower plants, while agriculture is critically dependent on irrigation. However, the inadequate and poorly maintained infrastructure in each of the water-using sectors and the absence of institutional coordination has resulted in the lack of water supplies becoming a key constraint to many economic activities and to satisfying basic social needs.
Water Management
The Government of Albania has begun the preparation of a National Water Strategy (with funding by the EU) to set out polices on the efficient management and protection of water resources, and to specify an appropriate legal framework for the management of water resources. However, the lack of adequate monitoring systems, the rapid changes in economic activities, and the continuous movements in population make it difficult to assess the use of water resources. Available data suggests that irrigation and mining rely mostly on surface water, while households and industry on groundwater from aquifers. Domestic water demand is increasing not only because of population growth but also because of the increase in the level of water losses, estimated to be greater than 50 percent in all cities.
Fact and Figures
- Total Available Renewable Water Resources [1] -- 42 km2/yr (36,000 L/day/cap)
- Renewed as:
- - Surface water produced internally -- 23 km3/yr (55%)
- - Groundwater recharge -- 6.3 km3/yr (15%)
- - Incoming waters -- 14.7 km3/year (35%)
Used by man -- 1.68 km3/yr (4%)
Rainfall -- 1000 mm/year
- Water Usage [2] -- 1.68 km3/yr (100%)
- By Sector:
- - Agriculture -- 1.19 km3/yr (71%)
- - Industry -- n/a
- - Domestic -- 0.49 km3/yr (29%)
- Population [3] without Safe Access to..
.. an improved water source (2004) [4] -- 96,000 (3%)
- - Average in Urban Areas -- 1 %
- - Average in Rural Areas -- 5 %
.. improved sanitation (2004) -- 287,000 (9%)
- - Average in Urban Areas -- 1%
- - Average in Rural Areas -- 16%
[1] Earthtrends and WRI, WWDR 2006 (FAO/Aquastat)
[2] Earthtrends and WWDR 2006
[3] Population of Albania = 3.19 M. in 2006 (WWDR 2006(FAO/Aquastat))
[4] Population using improved sanitation facilities, comparative data
Legislation and Policy Framework
Projects
UNDP-Projects
National:
Photovoltaics use for Water Supply to Rural Areas in Albania
Satisfactorily Completed
Albania - Market Transformation for Solar Water Heating
pdf-B up and running
Regional:
Integrated trans-boundary ecosystem management at Lake Prespa by Albania, Greece and Macedonia
Initial Implementation Stage
--> MedWet Coast??
Others
Reports
(see also the GWP-Med Publications page)
Advancing Development Through Sub-National MDG Reports: A Case Study of Albania
On Progress Toward Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
National Assessment Report for the World Summit of Sustainable Development Johannesburg 2002
Albania HDR: Pro-Poor and Pro-Women Policies and Development in Albania
UNECE Environmental Performance Review Albania Nov 2002 (Chapter 6: Water Management)
Water Resources Management in South Eastern Europe, The World Bank (2003)
Assessment of the Management of Shared Lake Basins in Southeastern Europe
Water Strategy: Regional Approach for Southeastern Europe (2001)
Resources and Links
Contacts
- CoP-Members
- User:Predrag.dakovic
- User:Mirela.Kamberi
- User:Lauren.Bohatka
- User:Julia.obrovac
- User:Ermira.Fida
- User:Batkhuyag.baldangombo
- User:Arian.gace
- User:Alvin.Lopez
- User:Alma.Gjoni
- Contacts
DynamicPageList: No results!
External Links
2005 Environmental Sustainability Index for Albania
Earth Trends country profile for Albania
Chapter 18 of the Agenda 21 Implementation Review for Albania
