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Alarming pollution in Fushë-Arrëz, copper factory waste turns the Fan River red

Politiko 2025-07-08 21:07:14

Alarming pollution in Fushë-Arrëz, copper factory waste turns the Fan

One of the most important branches of the watershed system of northern Albania, the Fan River, is turning into a toxic stream due to pollution caused by the copper enrichment plant in Fushë-Arrëz.

The factory has been under concession since 2001 and will continue to operate until 2043, based on the concession contract concluded with the company Beralb Sh.a. This contract addition was made to the initial agreement of 2017.

The footage provided by the show Fiks Fare clearly shows that the river, which is clear in the upper part of the stream and drastically turbid at the point where the factory waters flow into it. After this moment, the color of the water changes to reddish, an alarming indicator of pollution with industrial waste.

The factory, suspended on paper, but functional on the ground

According to the National Inspectorate of Territorial Protection, the Directorate of Environment and Waters, the factory's activity has been suspended since 2023 due to the pollution found. However, the company has appealed the decision in court and has obtained an injunction, continuing the activity until the end of the legal process. So until the end of the legal process, the factory's waste will be dumped into the Fan River.

"The factory has been suspended, but with lawsuit insurance it can operate until there is a final court decision. At this moment, we no longer have the authority to intervene," says one of the inspectors of the General Directorate of Environment.

In an attempt to contact factory representatives on the ground, Fiksi journalists were met with total rejection. Security guards communicated with the company’s managers, who refused to meet journalists or visitors. “These are criminals, crocodiles,” – were the words used by the guards, who demanded the journalists leave the factory premises.

Fiksi also inquired at the regional IKMT offices in Shkodra, where no one was found. The current Director of Environment and Water for Shkodra, contacted by phone, said that he has only been in office for a month and has no information whether the factory has been inspected before. He emphasized that the matter has been followed up by the General Directorate in Tirana.

While authorities clash with each other and await the conclusion of a legal process that could last years, the Fan River continues to be polluted daily by industrial waste from the copper factory, causing unprecedented environmental pollution./TCH

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