KLSH report: Tirana's Artificial Lake sick with pollution, institutions did not act

The thick layer of algae that covered the surface of Tirana's Artificial Lake in October last year and the heavy odor that spread through the park were only the first signs of a much more serious situation, which was confirmed by the report of the Supreme State Audit Office, KLSH, after an inspection of the lake's pollution.

The recently published report notes that "the increased content of nutrients (phosphates, etc.) and low oxygen saturation indicate that this lake is in a eutrophic ('sick') state. The deterioration of this condition will make it impossible for living organisms to survive in this body of water."

"From the field verification, a biomass was found on the surface of the lake, as well as an increased bird population, which comes as a result of abundant food in the lake, also found in the KTA analysis report which resulted in high levels of phosphates and nitrates in this water body. The phenomenon of fish coming to the surface, also documented through photos from the field verification, reflects the lack of oxygen in this water body," the report states, among other things.

The SAI report references two BIRN articles published in October 2024 on the situation in the lake, while noting that prior to these publications, the Parks and Recreation Agency in the municipality had not identified the problems. “The Parks and Recreation Agency has never identified problems that could cause pollution and has not sought cooperation with central government institutions to analyze water quality, before the pollution became apparent and received media attention,” the report states.

The SAI noted that the responsible institutions had not taken any measures to change the situation. According to the report, the National Environment Agency has not conducted annual monitoring of the Tirana Artificial Lake, despite the legal obligation.

Meanwhile, for the Parks and Recreation Agency, which administers the park, the report highlights that it has not taken any action “except for written correspondence” and has not taken any measures to identify the causes of pollution and solve the problem. According to the KLSH, although the APR had spent 10.6 million lek on cleaning the lake in four years, the cleaning had been mechanical without addressing the pollution problem.

"During the 2021–2024 audit period, APR spent 10,665,000 lek on cleaning the Tirana artificial lake basin. This cleaning was only mechanical (removal of plastics, vegetation, etc.), and did not focus on eliminating or reducing pollutants that directly affect water quality," the report states.

According to the report, the municipality, which is in the role of administrator, has not drafted a management plan for the Tirana Artificial Lake.

The audit found that some white water discharge points have been turned into wastewater channels, leading to the discharge of untreated urban water into the lake. Regarding this situation, the report notes that “from the verification carried out on site by the audit team, it was found that in addition to the seven points identified by the APR and samples taken for analysis by the KTA, there are 3 other points of rainwater channels that discharge into the lake, which were damaged, blocked or had discharges of used water.”

To curb further degradation, the report calls for concrete and immediate measures. The SAI requests the National Environment Agency to take measures to conduct annual monitoring at the designated station in the Tirana Artificial Lake, while intervention is also requested from the Tirana municipality to stop the discharge of polluted waters into the lake.

"The Municipality of Tirana and the National Environment Agency should take measures to establish an inter-institutional group, with representation from institutions subordinate to the Municipality of Tirana and central government institutions according to their respective fields of activity, to identify all points of discharge of used/polluted water," the report states.

The Albanian Supreme Audit Office warns that "without immediate measures and a long-term strategy, not only the lake's ecosystem is at risk, but also its function as an irreplaceable public space for the citizens of Tirana." Reporter.al