Author: Elsa Dautaj
The €15 million project to transform the "cancerous" waste field in Porto Romano into an ecological park for the city of Durrës is shrouded in suspicions of favoritism and corruption - while the situation created by the November 26 earthquake was used to choose winners without open competition.
At the waste disposal field in Porto Romano, about 6 kilometers north of the city of Durrës, municipal trucks arrive one after the other amid a thick cloud of dust on a sunny morning on May 1 as they unload inerts and waste mixed urban.
A few meters away, two excavators dig into the decomposed pile of waste and with the help of heavy machinery move it from one side of the field to the other.
Surrounded by dust and heavy wind, two women accompanied by small children easily overcome the entrance of the waste dump, in search of plastic, cardboard and scrap.
But our entrance is blocked first by a guard and then by a works foreman who introduces himself to us by the name of Albion.
"There is no morelandfillshere, we will make a flower park, - says the manager. - They preyed on me briefly; don't give any information at the moment, just give me a second," he added, rejecting the request for information.
The presence of excavators and waste removal is related to the promise of the Albanian government to transform the biggest source of pollution in Porto Romano into an ecological park in favor of the city of Durrës.
But the project, worth 1.9 billion lek (15 million euros), was covered by suspicions of favoritism and corruption, while the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime, SPAK, has opened an investigation into the method of selecting a consortium of companies for the realization of works.
Data provided by a joint research i Check it out and Albanian Center for Quality Journalism show that the emergency created after the November 26 earthquake was used to justify the avoidance of open competition and the direct negotiation of the contract for the closure of the waste disposal site in Porto Romano in favor of the companies Victoria Invest International and De Mare Srl
Following the accelerated procedure in the conditions of the earthquake emergency was ordered by the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, in the capacity of the chairman of the Interministerial Committee of Civil Emergencies.
The tendering of public works through the "negotiation, without announcement" procedure is allowed only in special circumstances, as it may lead to avoidance of competition and discrimination of candidates in the competition.
Asked about the progress of the investigation, the head of SPAK, Arben Kraja, said that a criminal proceeding has been registered for the crimes of "Violation of the equality of participants in the tender" and "Passive corruption of persons exercising public functions".
"The object of the investigation is the procedure followed for the selection of the winner. So far there is no accused person", - said Kraja through a written answer.
In the capacity of the Contracting Authority, the National Agency of Water-Sewage and Waste Infrastructure, AKUM, said that the Porto Romano project had started with an open procedure, but the tender was canceled after the November 26 earthquake by order of the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
AKUM attributes the selection of the negotiated companies to the decision of December 16, 2019, signed by Prime Minister Rama, through which the accelerated procedure for the project of encapsulation of the Porto Romano area and the revitalization of the area is ordered, motivated by "emergency conditions created".
"Here is a disaster"
The municipality of Durrës - the second largest in Albania - has been depositing its urban waste since the early 90s in a flat field between Porto Romano and the sector youth in New Town, in plots with an area of 14.4 hectares of land.
The municipality is estimated to dump around 80-90 thousand tons of waste in Porto Romano every year, while the amount accumulated in 3 decades is estimated to be around 900 thousand tons.
In addition to being a dumping ground for urban waste, the area also inherits high environmental pollution from the period of the communist regime. The operation of the chemical plant for the production of pesticides has contaminated the area of Porto-Romano, also due to the previous deposition of technological waste.
Planned to be closed since 2015, the promises of the Municipality of Durrës remained on paper.
A local waste management plan for the years 2010-2025, drawn up with the help of International Investment Corporation, IFC.
In July 2018, the Durrës City Council declared an environmental emergency for the waste disposal site in Porto Romano and transferred the solution to the problem to the government, but even the government's promises for the rapid construction of an ecological park were delayed.
In June 2018, the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, declared that "the cancerous area of the waste field would be closed by the autumn of next year". The new deadline promised for the construction of Eco-Park has been postponed to May 2021.
The delay of a solution weighed on the residents of Porto Romano, who complain that the pollution continues to be very high and threatens their health every day.
"It's a disaster here, as it has been, you can't live. The trucks that come and unload here have not stopped for a second. There is no measure", says irritated Nezir Peshpia, 81 years old and a resident near the waste field.
A woman in her 60s, a neighbor of Peškepi, remembers that the area used to be very good, before it turned into a giant garbage bin - where "the air suffocates".
"The grass was knee-deep, the good, unspoilt lands, but with the arrival of the garbage, both livestock and agriculture were destroyed," she says.
Dorina Ndreka, a lawyer at the Law Clinic in Durrës, which has been protecting the interests of the residents of the area for years, says that the landfill has existed for years without an environmental permit and in violation of waste management standards. According to her, this situation has violated the constitutional right of the residents to a clean environment, as well as damaged their health.
"In this area there is a high percentage of respiratory diseases, but also of other categories of diseases directly related to environmental pollution. The residents' concerns have never been taken into consideration, although they have continuously pursued this issue with local and central institutions, as well as through local and national media", said Ndreka, also mentioning a lawsuit submitted to the court.
Question marks for winners
The construction project EcoPark on the current waste field in Porto Romano was first presented on the site of Facebookof the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, in May 2019.
It envisages the construction of a car park, sports fields, a children's toy park and green fields for the elderly.
On October 16, 2019, AKUM announced at the Public Procurement Agency the tender with a limited fund of 1.6 billion ALL without VAT, but canceled it three days before the anticipated opening of offers, on December 6, 2019, due to the earthquake. However, only 10 days after the cancellation of the first tender, the earthquake again became the reason for reopening the call with an accelerated procedure. In a decision of December 16, 2019, the Prime Minister, Edi Rama, authorizes Porto Romano as a disposal site for inert waste caused by the earthquake. In the same decision, he orders the start of the project for the encapsulation of the Porto Romano area "in the conditions of the created emergency" with an accelerated procedure.
In the span of 10 days, AKUM declares that it invited 4 companies to negotiations, assessed their capacities, negotiated the economic conditions and came up with a contract signed on December 27, 2019, in favor of the consortium of companies Victoria Invest International and De Mare Srl
Victoria Invest International is a company founded in Kosovo by businessman Fatmir Kuçi, while the Italian company,De Mare Srl, counts as experience in Albania the works carried out in the Sharra incinerator on behalf of the concessionaire company Integrated Energy BV.
Companies were also invited to the negotiation Integrated Technology Services owned by Klodian Zoton, also associated with the incinerators, as well as the company Trema Engineering 2.
According to AKUM, the two winning companies were invited as separate entities and in the bidding process they decided to join a consortium for the realization of the project worth 15 million euros.
"The consortium of Victoria Invest International and De Mare Srl, Italy was chosen as the lowest economic offer presented and as a union of operators that guaranteed the successful implementation of this project...", AKUM said through a spokeswoman.
The investigation initiated by SPAK has not prevented the implementation of the project. AKUM said that the works at the Porto Romano storage site have started at a high pace and that "the contractor has committed to finish the work by May 2021 (before the contractual deadline)".
On January 13, 2020, the National Council of the Territory approved the construction permit for the project "Closing the existing solid waste disposal site,Durrës Eco-Park” and on February 3, 2020, AKUM provided the National Environment Agency with the authorization to start the works.
According to the preliminary EIA decision, the National Environment Agency argues that the project in question should not be subject to the in-depth EIA procedure.
The remains of Durrës, towards the incinerator
After three decades of illegality and problems in the Porto Romano landfill, urban waste management for the Municipality of Durrës still remains without a final solution.
In the same situation are the municipalities of Kavaja and Shijak, which have been depositing their waste in Porto Romano for a year.
In response to a right to information request, the Municipality of Durrës said that solid waste is still being deposited in Porto Romano until a final solution to the situation.
"Currently, the waste is deposited in the waste disposal site in Porto Romano, as there is an agreement with the responsible ministry, according to which the Municipality of Durrës will continue to deposit the waste in this disposal site until the final solution of the situation", - said the municipality through a spokeswoman.
The solution to the waste issue is projected by the Municipality of Durrës to the Sectoral National Plan for solid waste management, approved on January 13, 2020 by the National Council of the Territory. This plan envisages the creation of a joint Tirana-Durres urban waste management area, having the Sharra incinerator as a regional plant.
The construction of the Tirana incinerator has been granted with a 30-year concession to a company registered in the Netherlands and with unknown owners.Integrated Energy BV. The company has so far benefited from payments of 2.4 billion lek from the Municipality of Tirana, which is billed at 29 euros for each ton of waste deposited in Sharre.
The former mayor of Durres Municipality, Vangjush Dako, warned of the waste disposal from Durres to Sharre in 2018.
"All the waste will be sent to the new landfill in Sharre, in Tirana, and the government will cover the transportation costs," said Dako.
While the urban waste of Durrës continues to be deposited in Porto Romano, probably until the end of the year, the municipality of this city declared that it had set up a working group for the final solution of the situation.
"In fulfillment of its legal obligations and functions, the institution of the Municipality of Durrës has set up the working group, which is working in compliance with these plans and the legislation in force until a final conclusion for the treatment of waste in Durrës", concluded the municipality. .
This article is published within the framework of the project "Facts and the Environment", implemented by the Albanian Center for Quality Journalism and Faktoje, in the framework of the project "Towards Improving Labor Relations and Professionalism in the Albanian Media" supported by the European Union, implemented by the Albanian Media Institute and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The sole responsibility for the content of this article lies with the author and under no circumstances can it be considered that it reflects the position of the European Union".
