Read the Wastewater treatment solutions for the Shkodra city report here
Addressing the issue of urban wastewater discharges, in a way that the specific requirements of particular uses are met and the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the system is obtained, while the treatment method and costs are optimal is an important goal. Essential elements for the achievement of the aforementioned goal are: (i) the assessment/calculation of the optimum level of treatment of the effluents discharged in different water bodies; (ii) the selection of the optimum treatment method and infrastructure and; (iii) the possibility to intervene in emergency cases (failure of treatment plants, floods, etc.).
A Modelling Tool (MT) tailored to the conditions of the Drin Basin to serve as a Wastewater and Environment Management Decision Support Tool (Drin WEMDST) was developed and tested through a Pilot activity implemented under the GEF Drin Project.
The Drin WEMDST is applicable to be used by the competent local and national institutions in Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo, for the identification of the most environmentally appropriate and cost-efficient solutions to address wastewater related problems in ecologically important areas.
The Modelling Tool was tested in the Shkodra city (Albania) to identify the most environmentally appropriate and cost efficient solutions in terms of wastewater treatment methodology and infrastructure to address wastewater related problems. Access the report here
Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan here
Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan summary here
Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan summary in the languages of Albania and Kosovo here
Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan summary in the language of North Macedonianhere
Read the Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan brochure here
Lake Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is shared between Albania and North Macedonia and is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes and a biodiversity hotspot of global importance. Being 2-5 million years old, it contains 55.4 km3 of water, hosts more than 300 endemic species and has 9 protected and sensitive areas. Approximately 170.000 people live around the lake, which sustains economic activities such as fishing, agriculture, hydropower and tourism.
The Lake faces a number of environmental challenges, all of which are exacerbated by climate change. As a result, the lake’s ecosystem and vulnerable biodiversity are threatened, as are the economic and human activities it hosts. In order to address these challenges, coordinated action is required at the national and transboundary levels.
Table: Environmental Challenges
Poor water status
Construction of tourism facilities directly on the shore, destruction of reed belts (for agricultural land conversion and high pollution discharges at the mouth of the tributaries, have caused 75% of the water in the perimeter of the lake to have moderate, poor or bad status.
Eutrophication
Increased pollution from households, agriculture and industry results in decreased oxygen levels in parts of the lake during certain time periods, affecting in an adverse way the ecosystems.
Habitat destruction
Land development has impacted natural habitats along the shoreline. The connections between the lake and shoreline channels and wetlands have been interrupted, affecting endemic bottom fauna species, as well as water birds.
Declining fish stocks
Human activities along the shoreline threaten the spawning and wintering grounds of the Ohrid trout and other endemic fishes. Populations of commercially important fish as the Lake Ohrid trout and the belvica are in immediate danger of collapse, according to the IUCN List of Endangered Species.
Under the GEF Drin Project, the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean, in close cooperation with competent institutions in Albania and North Macedonia, developed the Lake Ohrid Management Plan (LOWMP).
The LOWMP, the result of scientific work-see above-with input by the stakeholders, was aimed to enable the sustainable management of Lake Ohrid’s natural resources. Its Programme of Measures included more than 100 measures designed to prevent further deterioration of water resources and ecosystems, promote sustainable water use, improve water resource and ecosystem quality and contribute to the mitigation of floods and droughts in the area.
It was prepared to be the official instrument of cooperation and act as the “Master Plan” for the two littoral countries. The LOWMP is only the second transboundary management plan developed in South East Europe in accordance with the European Union Water Framework Directive.
The development of the LOWMP was informed by data gathering, including a joint Lake Ohrid water quality surveillance monitoring campaign (a first of its kind to cover the total of the lake basin), an economic analysis and a valuation of ecosystem services.
A two-year consultation process took place, being of key importance for the development of the Management Plan. The process engaged all relevant stakeholders and institutions in Albania and North Macedonia, and comprised direct meetings with local government officials and businesses, focus group and expert group meetings as well as national consultation meetings in both countries.
The Lake Ohrid Watershed Management Plan was discussed by the bilateral Lake Ohrid Watershed Committee. The plan was approved by the responsible authorities of Albania and North Macedonia.
As part of the GEF Drin Project a number of Pilot Demonstrations were implemented to allow beneficiaries to (i) accrue direct experience on approaches, technologies, practices and organizational settings novel to the region and test their cost effectiveness and feasibility in the regional context, (ii) test cooperative arrangements, (iii) feed into the SAP formulation process.
The DCG actively pursued the identification and implementation of solutions to address transboundary problems of priority.
One of the concerns for sustainable development in the Drin basin identified in the Drin MoU was the need for “improving access to comprehensive data and adequate information to fully understand the current state of the environment and water resources and the hydrological system (including surface and coastal waters) as well as ecosystems of the Drin Basin” (article 3:i). Further, Drin Riparians had agreed that one of the priority actions to address this concern was the “improvement of information exchange through the establishment of a system for regular exchange of relevant information among competent authorities of each party” (Article 4: c).
In response to the stated needs, an Information Management system (IMS) was developed with the support of the GEF Drin project to enable the Drin Riparians to collect, store and share data and information. Moreover, the IMS includes GIS functions and is designed for use in the everyday work of the Drin Riparian ministries responsible for the management of the Drin sub-basins.
The IMS contains the following types of data:
Hydrological data including among others hydrography with delineation of 1083 sub-catchments, water level, water flow and annual precipitation (1980-2010) at 68 locations derived from the use of the Panta Rhei model for the Drin river.
Water pollution related data including among others industrial pollution hots spots, municipal solid waste disposal sites, wastewater outlets and wastewater management infrastructure; surface water, underground water, bathing water quality monitoring stations/sampling locations; 11 years pollution related data series (Drin Riparians’ monitoring data and data generated through monitoring campaigns under the GEF Drin Project and other projects during the past 10 years).
Socio-economic data including among others population and settlements etc.
Other baseline data including land use, (hydro)geological and pedological maps, biodiversity related maps etc.
In its initial stage the IMS contained statistically processed data series that were either provided by the countries or produced by the GEF Drin Project in the process for the development of the Drin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and the implementation of the GEF Drin project demonstration activities. The IMS is used also by other projects such as the Adaptation Fund supported Drin Flood Risk Management project implemented by UNDP and executed by UNDP and GWP-Med.
Succeeding the Drin Dialogue, a process was put into place called the Drin Coordinated Action (Drin CORDA), for the implementation of the Drin MoU.
An institutional structure comprising joint bodies with officially appointed members, established in 2012 by the Drin MoU, guided and steered the Drin CORDA:
The Meeting of the Parties was comprised of “the Ministers responsible for the management of water resources and/or environment of the five Parties” that “shall meet annually to review progress in the implementation of the present MoU and its provisions” (Article 6, Drin MoU).
The Drin Core Group (DCG) was given the mandate to coordinate actions for the implementation of the MoU. The decisions of the DCG were taken by the representatives of the Parties to the MoU (i.e. the Drin Riparians) by consensus. There were two regular DCG meetings per year.
Four Expert Working Groups (EWG) have been established to assist the DCG in its work.
The DCG Secretariat provided technical and administrative support to the DCG; GWP-Med served by appointment of the Parties, according to the MoU, as the Secretariat.
