World Bank Invests in Irrigation and River Protection

18 August 2005

Elbasan wins funding for repairs to the district irrigation and drainage system

The World Bank announced that it will allocate 3 million USD in the reparation of irrigation system, drainage channels and rivers in the District of Elbasan, Albania. The current situation is a real concern, having in mind that the lack of proper care in the past have seriously depleted the overall safety and security of the system.

Also, in the past, the system has been used outside its technical specifications, with the added danger of illegal fishing using dynamite and other explosives. Combined with the fact that the majority of dams were build 40 years ago, they present serious danger to the local population.

The Director of the District Board of Irrigation and Water Management, Shkelqim Sinani, says that the funds donated by the World Bank will be used for repaires to both the primary and secondary drainage and irrigation system in the area.

Overall, the whole district has over 80 dams with height up to 30 metres, and 30 additional small dams up to five metres high. The dams range in capacity from 100,000 to three million cubic metres of water.