Oil is poured into the river in Kuçovo, but the institutions turn a blind eye

It's a cold beginning of December, but the strong smell of oil and gas pierces your nose as soon as you enter the "Reth Tapi" neighborhood of Kuçova. The oil wells that are located in the neighborhood - in some cases even inside the yards of the houses - leak continuously while they are put to work.

"Look at how it's built around the well, a 'river' of oil, that's why there's this smell," said a resident of the neighborhood as he grazes several goats in the neighborhood.

Around Tapia, the entrance neighborhood of Kuçova is filled with new housing, but the area sees little private activity. A small coffee bar at the entrance to the neighborhood has long since closed and left few signs of service with a few tables and chairs abandoned on the patio.

"What kind of activity can you do in a place where oil pollution continues and no one asks about it", says Servet Tushe, owner of a small service point located at the top of the main road, annoyed.

Oil pollution is one of the main problems of the residents, but for years the authorities have turned a blind eye to Albpetrol, the public company that uses the wells there. The numerous complaints have often fallen on deaf ears and despite the obvious pollution, the only control took place in July 2023 when the National Inspectorate of Territory Protection and the police were alerted to the direct spill of oil into a stream in the area.

"During the year 2023, specifically on 07.11.2023, the Regional Directorate of IKMT Berat in cooperation with the State Police exercised control in the city of Kuçova due to the pollution of a stream as a result of the discharge or spill of oil by an entity with activity in the hydrocarbon field," said IKMT when asked by BIRN about inspections in the area in the last 2 years.

According to the institution, the on-site verification revealed the fact that the public oil company was responsible for the pollution of the stream.

"From the verifications carried out by the working group, it was found that the subject Albpetrol Sh.a, Branch: Kuçovo Oil Processing Center had dumped a significant amount of hydrocarbon waste in a stream of the city, causing its pollution in violation of the law", said IKMT. After this finding, Albpetrol was fined 1 million lek, while a criminal proceeding was initiated against the company's leaders.

IKMT had promised in a response to a request for information in 2022 that it would fully verify the situation, but such a check has not been carried out.

Kuçova is the first oil extraction area in Albania and in many neighborhoods of the city and the surrounding villages there are oil wells, some of which are working and others are not. The first well was opened in 1928 by the Italian company, AIPA, but exploitation began in 1934 with wells located in the city and surrounding villages.

For the residents here, the problem of leaking oil from the wells that you see everywhere is early and everyone seems bored and tired of talking about this issue.

"How many times have we talked about this problem, nobody has listened to us that the wells continue to work and no measures are taken to clean up the pollution," said Servet Tushe. According to him, in the neighborhood where about 400 inhabitants live, there are dozens of oil wells in operation that cause pollution and measures have not been taken.

"Just a year ago I remember the oil drillers came and put gravel around the wells, they cleaned the oiled area once and then they put gravel over it, but they haven't been seen again," Tushe said.

The situation is the same in Kozare, where you see many wells that seem to float in pools of oil. Although the area has been filled with vegetable greenhouses in recent years, as dozens of residents have invested in this area, no one seems to care about the pollution.

"The problem has been gangrene and continues to be for the residents. There has been a lack of a city-wide reaction and no one is solving the problem that we have been living with for years," said Fadil Marra, a resident of the area to BIRN.

Marra carries out an activity of trading agricultural inputs in the village and evaluates the initiatives of the residents in the field of agriculture as positive, but says that pollution is a deterrent.

"There are many farmers who have set up greenhouses, almost in every neighborhood, the residents want and are showing that they support the development, but the state institutions must do their job to eliminate oil pollution", said Marra.

According to him, this whole situation has come about due to the authorities' lack of control over the oil activity and the old technology that the sector has. "The wells are old, the technology is old, there are no controls, so the mouths of the wells are all oil and gas," added the man.

There are 1,623 wells in the oil extraction area located between Kuçova and Dimal municipalities, of which 950 are in working condition. In Kozare, the wells are located very close to the greenhouses, and in some cases, before entering the greenhouse, farmers have to pass in front of the wells, where oil pollution is visible.

"Whatever we do, we will live. Sometimes I cover the mouth of the well, what else can I do, no one comes to clean them", said a young man, who we find working in one of the greenhouses in the area. Reporter.al