The flattening of olive grove hills for palaces, how life is being made worse for the residents of Liqen i Thate

From an area that once promised tranquility, clean air, and green spaces, the Dry Lake area is turning into a permanent construction site.

Residents tell ekofin.al that their daily lives are significantly made more difficult by heavy vehicle traffic, which moves at all hours of the day, from early morning to late afternoon, dust, noise, and constant road congestion.

"We can't get to work on time and take our children to school. The road is constantly blocked by trucks and heavy machinery," says a resident of the area, who has lived in the neighborhood known as Liqeni i Thatë for years.

Residents' concerns have increased in recent months, as construction activity in the area has intensified. According to them, the constant movement of heavy vehicles has created not only traffic difficulties, but also significant air pollution.

For many, the problem is not just the construction, but the way it is being carried out. Residents speak of the loss of green spaces and damage to the area's natural landscape.

"They cut down and uprooted the olive trees. Where there was greenery, now there is only dirt, machinery and trucks. Heavy machinery works around the clock and the noise continues all day long," says another resident.

According to them, Liqeni i Thatë is gradually losing the identity that made it one of the most preferred areas for living in the capital. For years, the area has been promoted as an alternative away from the noise and pollution of the city, but today residents say the reality is quite different.

"We can't find it comfortable anymore. Every day there is dust, traffic and noise. Our lives have become miserable," says a citizen who lives near one of the construction sites.

Beyond the concerns of residents, questions about how this situation is being managed by the responsible institutions remain unanswered. For this reason, Ekofin.al has officially addressed the Municipality of Tirana with a request for information, to learn what measures are being taken to control the circulation of heavy tonnage vehicles and guarantee their normal movement, or to determine the movement schedules in urban areas.

While official and exhaustive responses are awaited from the Municipality of Tirana and the responsible authorities, residents are demanding immediate intervention to restore normality to a neighborhood that, according to them, is paying the cost of uncontrolled urban development every day.

Ekofin.al raises citizens' concerns, not only because one of the projects that has already begun to be implemented includes the construction of 15 buildings, leveling the hills with olive groves, while their height will be 9 floors. The area where the construction is expected to be carried out is about 31 thousand square meters, while the project foresees a full 94 thousand square meters of construction above and below ground.

It is precisely these data that make the situation even more frightening for residents who have not only lost their comfort and the battle with time, but also lost the reason for which they invested in that area.  /Ekofin.al