On Friday, 16 October, under the auspices of the Minister Englantina Gjermeni, Ministry of Urban Development organized a national meeting for the presentation of the "digital map of urban waste landfills in Albania". The process was conducted by the Ministry of Urban Development with financial and technical support of REC Albania in the framework of the program SENIOR-A. Present at the event were the Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Niko Peleshi, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Mr. Edmond Haxhinasto, Minister of Innovation and Public Administration Mrs. Milena Harito, donors, investors, representatives of the central government, local government and civil society.
The Minister Gjermeni in her speech said that the new digital map is the product of two years’ work in the Ministry of Urban Development as a result of the united efforts of a highly qualified staff.
Mrs. Gjermeni further added that the Ministry of Urban Development is ready to provide an unconditional assistance to the 61 new municipalities, for ensuring protection of the environment from pollution and to guarantee a stable and integrated development. Even the Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Niko Peleshi stressed that this map will serve more to the local government units, which are also developing general local plans. This new digital map highlights the situation on existing landfills across the country and will be used as a planning tool for determining the spots, where are aimed to be built new landfills and to follow developments on the ground, in the waste sector.
Mr. Mihallaq Qirjo, the Director of REC Albania stressed the real possibility that this map provides not only regarding territorial planning but also the assistance it gives to various actors, particularly NGOs of civil society that can now identify, track and also compile projects for the benefit of the rehabilitation pollution in these areas. Also, CSOs should play a major role in raising awareness in the community living near and around these waste landfills, already clearly identified. This map will also serve to the local government units for the identification of landfills that are inherit in the territory of the new municipalities, expanded after the administrative-territorial reform.
The map helps even to determine the areas where landfills will be built according to the plans and directives at the national level and to identify the areas that do not have proper service because of a lack of supporting infrastructure, or rural character. The Digital Map of waste is an interactive map with more valuable information on location, proximity to reestablish sources and residential areas, the situation frame, the field layout, etc. There are reflected 89 unsanitary landfills and 3 sanitary landfills. For its fulfillment were performed field visits conducted in 65 municipalities and 31 communes. Map data will help the citizens to be informed on the distances from residential areas, lakes, rivers, and other natural resources of national significance; on new developments in the field of waste as rehabilitation of landfills and construction of landfills. Information will raise awareness of civil society and the influence of stakeholders in governance.
Map is expected to be further developed and it can be publicly accessed at the appropriate domain: http://mbetjet.zhvillimiurban.gov.al/
At the same time, the map will serve to the central institutions to collect informative database while updating the strategic and development documents of new environmental policies; orientation in establishing the location of infrastructure projects at national and regional level as well as the orientation of the donors and other developers to invest in this area. The information it contains, is available online and is provided through official communication between the Ministry of Urban Development and the Local Government Units.
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