Experts in Albania: The risk of flooding from this year's massive fires is increasing

2024-09-21 09:30:00, Aktualitet CNA

Experts in Albania: The risk of flooding from this year's massive fires is

Forest experts and nature researchers say that this year's massive fires in Albania are expected to increase the risk of floods during the winter season.

The fires, which are considered to be the largest of the last decade, have burned the plant cover in many areas, accelerating erosion and flooding.

According to experts, local governments are showing major deficiencies in fire protection, forest management and emergency response.

Drone images in many areas of Albania show the situation left behind in forests and pastures by this year's massive fires.

According to updated data from the European Forest Fire Information System, Albania has been ravaged since the beginning of this year by about 160 massive fires that have burned about 46,000 hectares of forest.

The damage from this year's fires is the biggest in the last decade, says forest engineer Abdulla Diku.

"The year 2024 results in the largest number of fires and also with the largest burned area in Albania, a year which has surpassed 2017, which was held as the record year of fires, by almost 3,000 hectares. The first consequence that Albania is expected to face this year from this massive burning of forests is the risk of floods", says Mr. Diku.

"The first and most negative element that we are currently facing is the deforestation of steep slopes. The result of this is the immediate degradation of the land, the stripping of the land surface from forest vegetation. These are the consequences that are felt in the part of the Western Lowlands of Albania with flooding and massive erosion of agricultural land."

Natural sciences researcher Lulëzim Shuka talks about this year's massive fires influenced not only by global climate changes, but also by Albania's special conditions.

"The plant cover is very low, especially since the forest cover is even lower, as a result the soil does not retain moisture, the evaporation is many times greater and of course the summer period is very hot. This causes fires also due to a plant cover collected over the years as a result of the lack of livestock grazing in many areas of the country."

The risk of flooding increases in some regions of the country, as a result of the damage to the plant cover by fires, says Mr. Shuka.

"The lack of plant cover from the fires causes the waters to arrive faster in the rivers and consequently in the sea, which causes large floods. This is also favored by uncontrolled urban development. We have occupied the mouths of the rivers with constructions. Gjirokastra, for example, was not in vain on the slopes of the mountain because of these floods."

Both the naturalist Shuka and the forest engineer Diku talk about the immediate need, according to them, to change the situation by the local governments that manage the forests.

"A different management behavior towards nature and natural ecosystems is required. Planting of seedlings should be planned for this. It is something specific that happens in Albania: in many areas of the country we have the growth of some conifer species that can be used in today's climate conditions for new plantings. Likewise, local governments should think about extinguishing fires by strengthening capacities with tools and human resources," says Mr. Shuka.

"Unfortunately, it is not that there is a lack of capacity, there is more of a lack of organization. I want to remind you that in the last ten years the municipal administration has increased by 10,000 employees, which means that we should have more people on the ground to manage, to prevent, to reduce the negative impact of fires, but this is not happening. happens", says Mr. Diku.

According to him, the technological equipment that is necessary for the detection of fires in time is missing. Also, the tools for fighting fires from simple pumps to motorized tools are missing. Increased attention, experts say, should also be paid to the training of the staff that should be engaged in the field to extinguish fires.

"Above all, I want to remember that in the Albanian forestry service, 75% of the employees are not forest specialists", says Mr. Diku.

The Albanian Ministry of Environment announced 2024 as the year of forests in the 101st anniversary of the Albanian forestry service with a program that includes the increase of areas planted with forest seedlings.

But the planting rates are very low, in relation to the thousands of hectares that are damaged every year. According to experts, they do not even exceed 100 hectares of new planting of forest seedlings per year.

A year ago, a massive fire swept through for days about 820 hectares in the Poro Pine Protected Area in Fier where about 365 hectares were pine trees which were completely burned./ VOA