The salinized land surfaces in Albania have increased to alarming levels

The salinized soil surfaces in the country have increased to alarming levels compared to a few decades ago.

A report of the Environmental Protection Agency shows that from the measurements made in several regions such as Dërmenas and Libofshë in Fier County, the level of salinity has increased even in what were previously normal and fertile soils.

Likewise, other land surfaces have been affected by swamping, something that has made them degraded again. The latter was measured in regions such as Orikum, Vlorë, and Sheqeras, Korça District.

"The soils taken in the study according to the classification result with different degrees of salinization, starting from the level of weakly saline to highly saline soils.

From the assessment, it seems that there is an increase in saline and highly saline soils, the area of ​​soils with salinization problems also extends to the depth of normal soils. The content of general salts ranges from 0.610% to 8.600%.

There is an alarming increase in saline, very saline and sodic soils, in about 1.5 times compared to 1984. Sodification of soils is an alarming problem not only as a toxic element, but its impact is manifested in the change of soil qualities, the decrease of the rate of use and its chemical, physical and biological degradation" the report states.

The report estimates that there are marked changes in the salt content of the studied soils between the areas and within them, as a result of not intervening with preventive measures or leaving them out of attention and abandoning them.

"From the evaluation of the indicators analyzed for the nature of salinization, it has been found that it belongs to the type of completely chloride salinization, since the Cl/SO4 ratio values ​​are above 2.

The soil reaction in the studied area results in very high values ​​ranging from 7.9 to 9.8. According to the classification, they are characterized as very alkaline to very strongly alkaline, thus favoring the sodation process," the report states.

The latter brings to attention that in our country the saline lands are approximately 40,000 ha, which stretch along the entire length of the agricultural lands, along the coast, from Vrina and Xara to Saranda, continuing along the coastline, in the direction of Vlora, Fier , Durrës, Lezha to Velipoja, Shkodër.

Before the 1990s as a result of reclamation and other remedial measures taken, many flooded and salinized lands were brought under cultivation and exploited for a relatively long time.

But which are the regions taken in the study and where did the not so optimistic results come from?

Regarding salinization, the study was carried out in the administrative units: Dërmenas and Libofshë, in all their surfaces, which extend from the coast to the depths of these units.

The most saline soils are the soils of the municipality of Dërmenas with 66.6% and the least saline are those of Libofsha with 20%. Based on the high level of salts and very high pH (above 9), we can say that the soils of this ecological zone have salinization and sodification problems.

Referring to the chemical analysis data, we can say that soils with salinization problems tend to expand in the depth of soils that previously had normal fertility indicators, thus increasing the surface of soils with salinization problems compared to the period before the 1990s ./Monitor