Water Pollution by Solid Waste in Kosovo

Water Pollution by Solid Waste in Kosovo

The following article represents an analysis of the state of water in Kosovo, and their pollution by solid waste. In examining this issue and presenting the results of this examination, the territory of Kosovo was divided in 4 parts, the Prizren region, the Peja region, and the Mitrovica region, and the results of these examinations and their impact on the environment will be considered together in conclusion. The two remaining parts of Kosovo`s territory, namely Prishtina region and Gjilani/Ferizaj region are not subject of this paper because there is less water flowing in those areas so less water pollution comes as a result of that.

General Information about Kosovo

Kosovo is located at the center of the Balkan Peninsula, and has a very important geographic location in terms of economics, political, and cultural areas. “Kosovo has a total area of 10,887 km ², with about 2.1 million inhabitants (1991 estimate) and the average density of 192 inhabitants per km². It is bordered with Albania (southwest), Macedonia (southeast), with Serbia (east, north and northeast) and Montenegro (west). The overall length of the border between Kosovo and neighboring countries is about700.7 km” (The State of Water in Kosovo, pg. 15).The territory of Kosovo is mostly mountainous terrain with 2 large plains located on the East and the west side of it, and split by a mountain range. Kosovo also has limited water resources, which might impair its ability to develop sustainably in the future. In hydrographical terms, Kosovo is divided into four hydrographical river basins: the Drini i Bardhe, Ibri, Morava e Binçës and Lepeneci. The annual average of water flow from Kosovo is approximately 3.8 x 109 or 121.2 m3 / sec. (The State of Water in Kosovo, pg. 16). The following map shows the rivers of the Hydro network in Kosovo:

Source: The State of Water in Kosovo, pg.17

Introduction    

Kosovo is a place with limited water resources. There are few rivers that pass through Kosovo, and even fewer that have their sources in Kosovo. The number of natural lakes is also very low. Being in such a state, Kosovo is in great need for drinkable water, which especially escalates during the heat of the summer months, where there is almost no rainfall to feed the temporary river, and there is not enough water for everyone. Even though the problem of water supply has been very acute and grows more and more from year to year, the citizens of Kosovo create an additional problem of polluting water, thereby decreasing the already low amount of drinkable water further. The problem is greater in the southern part of Kosovo, where the amount of drinkable water is low throughout the year. With an average annual consumption of water as high as 1600 m³ per capita (Water Polluters Cadastre, pg. 10), and limited supplies of water, it becomes obvious that any pollution in this region is intolerable, lest we risk a serious lack of this resource essential for life.

Throughout Kosovo you will find polluted rivers from almost their very sources, rendering the water inconsumable unless purified by machinery being expensive, consuming energy, and still not being able to purify enough water for everyone. The majority of these polluters are of solid waste type, which is defined by the American Environment Conservation Office as “any garbage, refuse, sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials including solid, liquid, semi-solid, or contained gaseous material, resulting from industrial, commercial, mining and agricultural operations, and from community activities (par. 1). Examples would include tires, aerosol cans, septages, household appliances and furniture, construction and demolition debris, and many more. The degradation of the environment has an estimated cost of 25.1 million euro, which is equivalent to 0.75% of Kosovo`s annual GDP (Kosovo Country Environment Analysis, pg. 10). Combines with other polluters as well, they amount to 7.7% of annual GDP (Kosovo Country Environment Analysis, pg. 10). Unless the problem has been conceived as very important, and unless measures are taken to prevent these activities and establish a better regulation of water pollution, the drinkable water problem will continue to spike and more and more people will be left without it.

 All major river basins are recognized and reported as being polluted, with a lack of dissolved oxygen in them (Kosovo Country Environment Analysis, pg. 33). Such a status should not be acceptable to anyone, because it has a present negative impact in form of the lack of drinkable water, as well as the huge cost of environment degradation which is quite the opposite of sustainable development, and will come to haunt future generations for mistakes and recklessness we are exercising today. The lack of oxygen and increased pollution in the water also decreases the biodiversity in those waters, which corrupts the self-purifying processes in the water, and might render the ecosystem unable to sustain itself even if one day the pollution has been halted, because there will be no organisms living in the water which will naturally purify it.

In many parts of Kosovo, especially in the rural areas, the residents have been following the path of least resistance and least cost in the short run-dumping any waste into the rivers. This is the problem of so called collective polluters, where pollution source represents a community or a group of houses and families of some type (Water Polluters Cadastre, pg. 15). The source of such pollution is the entire settlement or the group of households which not only have their sewage connected to the river stream, but also dump solid waste into the river, as solid waste disposal services do not function well or are non-existent in these areas. The pictures of huge dumping sites and polluted rivers can be seen throughout Kosovo, and the identification of the problem of the lack of drinkable water becomes immediately apparent.
The second type of river polluters is the individual polluters, which are the producers of certain goods, and each of those disposes of a serious amount of waste into the river. The most dangerous waste disposal into rivers comes from the producers of chemical materials and goods, thereby polluting rivers to such a degree where multiple and very expensive processes of cleaning are required if the water is to be rendered drinkable again. The disposal of chemical materials and waste might also be classified as the most important one, because it contaminates the water and can cause disease and even death in case you drink the water. This has become a huge problem, since in some cases the rivers are polluted by such materials before they pass through a settlement which has no other source of water, and must therefore consume the contaminated water for drinking, thereby jeopardizing their own health. The following list identifies individual polluters in Prizren, Dragash, and Suhareka regions:

Source: Water Polluters Cadastre, pg. 22

As we can see from the table, most of the individual polluters dump their waste and have the sewerage point directly into the river. Such an action reduces the cost of the businesses to operate, yet adds a much greater cost to the environment and the society as a whole. Even though we know the water pollution sources, there is almost nothing done by the state to prevent further pollution, let alone start cleaning the rivers. A wastewater treatment plant would prove very useful in many areas when it comes to cleaning the polluted water and making it usable again, yet none of such operates in Kosovo. There is only one such plant in Skenderaj, but it does not operate at all, and sits idle (The State of Water in Kosovo, pg. 79).

Prizren Region

The city of Prizren is located on the banks of the Lumbardhi River, which has a more or less constant flow throughout the year, with the exception of one month during a year when the water is used for irrigation purposes, and only a part of it flows through Prizren. However, even though Prizren has an abundance of water which can be used for drinking and other purposes, the people living there are struggling to meet their basic needs for water, while interruptions of water supply are very common and happen almost daily, depending on the district and proximity of the water source to the district (Water Crisis in the Republic of Kosova, par. 4). The supply of water is accomplished through the company “Hidroregjioni Jugor”, which acts as a monopolist on the market for water in the city of Prizren. The majority of water is supplied to Prizren from a point named “Krk-Bunar”, which is located on the road Prizren-Recane, and which is supplied by spring water. Hidroregjioni Jugor is also the company that is responsible for sewage services and the collection and disposal of waste water. For the time-being, around 60% of households in Prizren have access to the sewage, which is a very low number. The rest of households are forced to dig septic tanks or to find another way of disposing of their waste water. The surrounding villages in Prizren Municipality have no access to the public sewage system, but have constructed local sewages which lead to nearby rivers and streams, thereby acting as collective polluters (Water Polluters Cadastre, pg. 19). In any of these cases, the end result is still the same, because waste water from all of those households remains not inspected for pollution, and is discharged without processing or cleaning into the main river streams.

Lumbardhi River, Lower Lubinje

Source: Esved Ameti

The major problem, however, is that water is polluted from the source, and is already polluted as it flows through Prizren. The pollution is such that water flowing through Prizren from the Lumbardhi River is not drinkable unless purified. Prizren lacks the machinery for such processing of the polluted water, so the huge water resources remain accessible, yet cannot be used.

There are many issues which lead to poor water supply and inappropriate maintenance in Prizren and other cities in Kosovo.  “The typical situation with drinking water supply in urban areas is old water supply networks, high water losses in the network, misuse of water and illegal connections, provision of potable but not necessarily drinkable water, non-payment of water bills, and low level of customer awareness” (ETOA, pg. 6). Such a state is mainly the result of inadequate policy and law enforcements, which is dragging on since post-war times, when the rule of law was at its lowest. Such an issue should be unacceptable, because it impairs Kosovo`s ability to meet its needs for water, with the already dwindling supplies of drinkable water and a high level of pollution.

Lumbardhi River, Lower Lubinje

Source: Esved Ameti

Low waste collection rate by public waste collection agencies is another reason for river pollution by solid waste. Because services are not provided to all residents, they use the alternative route of disposing of the waste in inappropriate ways, mostly in the river, which is the most convenient and cheapest way. According to the information gotten form the most recent research which has been done in 2008, the coverage of waste disposal services in Prizren was around 39%, which is a very low and disturbing rate (The State of Waste in Kosovo, pg. 30). The figure gets lower if we include the coverage of such services in the surrounding villages of the Prizen municipality, which is around 10% (The State of Waste in Kosovo, pg. 29). The villages, which are in most cases located in places where the river Lumbardhi has its springs, use those streams and rivers to dump their waste. Such practices have been going on since the establishment of settlements, but steps must be undertaken to prevent people from this practices, given the type of hazardous waste that they are disposing of.

Just a look at the rates of waste disposal services coverage gives answer to the question as to what system needs to be improved or updated to decrease the level river pollution. It might be costly to prop-up the existing waste collection system or set up a new one which will have more coverage over the Prizren region and its municipalities, yet we can leave the issue to the status quo no longer, because the future cost of maintaining the status quo might be more than we can bear. Kosovo already lacks water, and no cost should be too high if it secures an asset that is basic to survival, well-being, and economic development of the country and its citizen.

Mitrovica Region

As mentioned before, the quality of the water in Kosovo is far from satisfying, and in Mitrovica the situation looks even worse. “By rapid industrial development, concentration of population in urban areas, inadequate treatment of waste waters and their discharge in water flows (rivers), the quality of surface and ground waters in Mitrovica area is decreasing”(Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008;Baudry, 2011).

Mitrovica is located in the north of Kosovo. This region of Kosovo is recognized as the richest region in terms of natural resources; but it is also the most polluted city not only in Kosovo, but in Eruope as well. The main factor for the pollution of the Mitrovica region is the not well managed and controlled explotation of the natural resources that lay within the territory of this city; and we should recall that about 49.7% of Kosovo’s natural resources are situated in Mitrovica region (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008;Blagoje & Gordana, 2006). In the article “Ground water pollution in Mitrovica and surroundings” , the authors Behrami, Bajraktari, and Nazmi explain that except for the non-organized industrial activity themselves, the location of where these activities take place plays also a crucial role in the health of the environment, or more strictly speaking in regard with this paper – the water supply ”(Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008). 

The main rivers in Mitrovica are : Sitnica, Ibri, Trepca, and Lushta ”(Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008).  These rivers being in the process of passing through the urban areas, are heavily polluted by the unsterilized proceeds of different industries (which are mainly located in urban areas) and the disposal of water that has been utilized for home purposes without undergoing any treatment (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008;Baudry, 2011).  In order to communicate better the level of pollution that is prevalent in these rivers, analysts have labeled different degrees of pollution with classes; the first class being quite pure, up till the fourth class which is heavily polluted. In order to discuss better the matter of water pollution in Mitrovica, we will focus on the condition of the two main rivers: Ibri and Sitnica. The water that comes from the river Iber, prior entering Mitrovica, is classified as a second class; but, when the river exits Mitrovica (i.e. after various industry activities impact the water), the river is categorized as class four (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008).

Source: Ground Water Pollution in Mitrovica and Surroundings, pg. 2

Sitnica, as contrasted to Iber, is more polluted to begin with. The rive Sitnica prior to entering Vragolli village is categorized as a class three, however, after receiving water from the industry of “Electroekonomise” in Kastriot (located in Obiliq) and Prishtevka, its rank in terms of pollution climbs to class four (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008).

Source: Ground Water Pollution in Mitrovica and Surroundings, pg. 2

River Ibri, after flowing through Mitrovica and having Sitnica joined to it, is considered as one of the most polluted rivers in Europe (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008). “From the industrial objects of “Trepca” corporation, used water goes directly on Iber, which contains: leaden, zinc, and cadmium” (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008;Blagoje & Gordana, 2006; Bektashi, 2012; Kadriju, Hoxha, Pula-Beqiri, Zeqiri & Kelmendi, 2011; Brewer, Macklin & Bird, 2010).

Source: Google Pictures

When a research was done from January 1996 till April 1997, it has been asserted that the contamination of harmful elements exceeds the upper limit of permission. For instance, the waste which was contributed by the metallurgy department, the level of KMnO₄ was for 1.3 times higher than the accepted limit and zinc was for 1.5 times higher (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008). From the chemical industry department, phosphate (SO₄) is one time more prevalent than it ought to be (i.e. 200% of the limit), cadmium (Cd) exceeded the limit 147 times, and zinc (Zn) for 4.4 times (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008). According to the authors, because of the post-war down cycle in industrial activity that used to embrace the Mitrovica region, these values have decreased; nevertheless, the level of pollution is high (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008).

River Ibri

Source: Google Pictures

Source: Ground Water Pollution in Mitrovica and Surroundings, pg. 2

River Sitnica, just like Ibri, has the highest level of pollution as well – class four. This river, which goes through out Kosovo, has been used as a mean for industries to dispose their used water for production processes (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008). Before the war that took hold in Kosovo during the years 1998-1999, “the main factor of pollution of this river used to be the production company in Ferizaj, which used to produce oil, also the production of Paper Company in Lipjan, Metal production in Janjeva, Mining of Magnezit “Golesh” in Magure, Textile and Milking production in Fush Kosova, industrial objects in Vushtrri etc.” (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008)

Furthermore, close to the location where Sitnica and Iber meet, there is over 40% of the populace of the country of Kosovo living in the Mitrovica region. Because the location for situating garbage in the boroughs is not adequate, it adds to a high degree of contamination (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008). “Throughout Sitnica, from Ferizaj till it joins Iber in Mitrovica, on this river are thrown approximately 100 million m³ industrial water per year, from which 83% of this polluted water are thrown form “Elektroeconomis” of Kastriot and from “Trepca” in Mitrovica without being processed or sterilized.” (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008)

River Sitnica

Source: Google Pictures

Source: Ground Water Pollution in Mitrovica and Surroundings, pg. 3

Based on the analysis that have been done for the water pollution in Mitrovica, the authors of this article came to the conclusion that the condition and usage of the rivers is as follows (Behrami, Bajraktari & Nazmi, 2008; Baudry, 2011):

• River Iber can be used for any purpose as long as its water isn’t joined with Sitnica didn’t enter the city
• After the water of river Iber passes through the city, but doesn’t mix with Sitnica,  is polluted to such a degree that is usable for purposes such as watering of plants, but fishing is not recommended
• Before river Sitnica meets with any water can only be used for plant watering
• After Sitnica meets with Iber, the water can’t be used for any purpose at all due to its high level of pollution

According to the UNEP analysis (article “Case Study on Lead and Heavy Metalcontamination in Mitrovica, Kosovo”) of the water pollution in Kosovo, the situation is very alarming. On the baseline, this article agrees with the previously discussed article, namely the “Ground water pollution in Mitrovica and surroundings”. Nevertheless, there is a difference between the two writings. In the previous article that was discussed, we saw that initially, before the passage through the city and joining of rivers, the rivers are usable for the peoples, but in the “Case Study on Lead and Heavy Metalcontamination in Mitrovica, Kosovo” the UNEP claims that the river Sitnica and Iber are not useful to begin with, whether it is for recreational purposes or industrial purposes; as such, these rivers have been classified as dead rivers (UNEP, 2010).

According to the government report “Water Security for Central Kosovo”, published from the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, the quality of water resources in Mitrovica is extraordinarily poor (Baudry, 2011). 

According to the OSCE report, “Lead contamination in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica affecting the Roma community”, the main water polluter that causes the greatest concern is lead. This comes mainly from the mining activities that were prevalent in the past, as well as the smelter that was closed down in 2000 by KFOR and UNMIK ("Lead contamination in," 2009). This is very harmful for the people that drink from the waters that contain lead. Especially endangered is the Roma community ("Lead contamination in," 2009).

However, we see a dispute with the previous idea of poor drinkable water quality in the  report from the University of Wales, titled “Geochemical assessment of soils in Roma Mahalla, Mitrovica, Kosovo: implications for the proposed resettlement of families presently living in the Osterode and Cesmin Lug Camps”.

“A small number of samples from public water supplies were collected from the Mitrovica area.  Measured concentrations in a majority of samples were below the limits of detection, with the exception Cu and Zn in a limited number samples.  However, the detectable Cu and Zn concentrations were below EU Target values for water intended for human consumption and WHO drinking water guidelines.  In the light of the results from this small survey,we do not believe that dissolved metals pose a significant threat to potable water quality in Roma Mahalla, or the Osterode and Cesmin Lug camps.” (Brewer, Macklin & Graham, 2010)

Peja Region

Polluters according to categories and municipalities – Peja Region (Source: Water Polluters Cadastre, pg. 32)

Peja is the region of Kosovo which is one of the richest in water resources, mainly because the spring of the Drin River is located in this region. This feature, combined with the largest rainfalls in all of the territory of Kosovo has contributed to greater water supply. The distribution of water to the households, as well as the sewage services are performed by the public company Hidrodrini (Feasibility Study on Drinking Water Quality in Kosovo, pg. 10). In Peja region, the same as Prizren region is relatively rich with water sources, yet the poor waste disposal and sewage system in this region have contributed to the development of many problems. Because no wastewater treatment plant exists which would purify the water before releasing it into the streams, the agricultural land and people living of agriculture suffer the most as they are located beneath the wastewater disposal site. The farmers living there have been complaining for years now, that the water they use for irrigation is too polluted, and that decreased land productivity results from irrigating the land with it (Ujerat e Zeza… par. 2). We can see from here that the problem of water pollution has a negative impact on other aspects of human life and human activities, and that therefore must not be left untreated.

Devolli Company, which is the leading company in the business for diary and beverages from EO-s, has the highest potential for pollution, disposing of different material (trash) into the waters of Peja. But besides Devolli Company in the table below we can see the activities of other companies that contribute to the pollution of rivers in Peja.

Individual polluters according to municipalities (Source: Water Polluters Cadastre, pg. 33)

The table shows that there are only two deployment sites for the individual polluters operating in Peja region, which means that there is a high degree of pollution in each of them. The major absorber of the waste is the Lumbardhi River of Peja, but a part of this pollution is also released into the underground water, which might be even more dangerous, because there are people who use it for drinking and other purposes, believing that the water is clean because it comes from underground and therefore has been naturally purified.

Peja water supply comes from two sources: 1) Burimi I Zi and 2) Drini I Bardhe which comes from Radavac village, with both of these sources providing 500 l/s” (Development Plan for Water Supply and Sewerage Infrastructure, pg. 5). According to Rotary Club Peja “the water supply system is quite old and the amount of wasted water is very high” which is probably a reason of need in investment. European Agency has contributed funds for the water supply system in the city and “according to investment plans, two reservoirs would be used for the supply of water to almost all villages within the Peja Municipality” which is a necessity to the people of these villages where a small percent of them are provided with water from the water supply system and the rest from wells which contain water that is not safe to drink, as it is contaminated to a mild degree. The number of these villages covered in the region of Peja is 19 and the number of negative outcomes (epidemic disease) is very high, which comes mainly as the result of polluted water and poor sanitary conditions. Therefore a document for extending the water supply system in these 19 villages which would cover around 25,000 inhabitants was present by GEUK. “The total cost of building of the water supply net in these 19 villages was estimated at 7,124,365 EUR” (Development Plan for Water Supply and Sewerage Infrastructure, pg. 5). It might be costly to build such a water supply network, but at this point in time it might be the best solution, taking into account the future benefits which such a project will bring, as well as better sanitary and living conditions. Kosovo has just recently started its modernization, yet it needs to choose cautious and the right steps towards reaching this goal.

Gjakova Region

In a report done by Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Gjakova is the only place that has the sewerage system and the evacuation system for atmospheric water. According to this report, Gjakova Industrial Zone is very little active and “is the only municipality that has septic tank for pre-treatment of polluted waters” which makes Gjakova a leading city in the progress toward polluted waters.

In Gjakova, Erenik River receive the highest waters from the city and two villages from around 9100 inhabitants leading with White Drin which receives waste waters from 5000 inhabitants in Rugova. The following table underlines the collective polluters in the Municipality of Gjakova.

Collective Polluters in Gjakova Region (Source: Water Polluters Cadastre, pg. 34)

Yet the wastewaters continue to dominate the lack of good quality water due to inappropriate waste disposal. In a publication “Stretching City Limits” covered mainly by REC (Regional Environment Center) they focus on the river Krena which flows through the city of Gjakova and where through this segment around 18,000 people live and are present through various waste and “sewage flows directly into the river, which creates environmental hazards and fragments habitants” an example on how dangerous can be to the health of people and meanwhile to the quality of water in this river these wastes.

In order to improve the water quality in Krena a project was implemented by Kosovo Development Center (KDC) with a grant of SECTOR that gave 12,155 Euros for this purpose (Stretching City Limits, pg.2). KDC held a program that did the following in the environmental part A) “Initially KDC organized continuous meetings with inhabitants, visiting each house in order to get a clear picture about the waste disposal in the river.” B) “Throughout the project, a periodic bulletin was produced by KDC to inform stakeholders about project activities and a brochure was produced giving information about the condition of the river actual steps being undertaken for its improvement. Public information was also distributed through a local TV show, in a promotional video and on a local radio station” (Stretching City Limits, pg. 3). This is an example how organizations can play an important role on working together with the people toward a better identification of sources of pollution and a better understanding of the gravity and magnitude of the problem of water pollution and the consequences flowing from it.

Gjakova is water supply comes from Hydro-system “Radoniq” with a capacity of 700 l/s covering around 200,000 people. A problem in the water Lake Radoniq comes with a smell in drinking water that as a result of tests examined in Germany stams from a kind of algae that comes from the lake. High dosages of active carbon are showing great results toward eliminating this alga from the lake. 

Conclusion

Having seen and assessed the different regions of Kosovo and their waste disposal methods, we can see that little has been done in this area. Being a small country with only small rivers having its sources in it, Kosovo does express the need for more water, and it is a problem which will very likely be magnified as the years pass. As a country of limited water resources, Kosovo needs every bit of water it can get; it does not have the capacity to allow the citizen to dispose of their waste into the waters of Kosovo. The analysis and information assessment and their presentation of those information on this page is supposed to raise awareness of the broader public, and provide a lever to a better and more sustainable development of Kosovo. In the end, it lies in the hands of Kosovo citizen and its Government to decide which path it will follow in establishing a brighter and sustainable future, in which basic conditions for life and its development are met prior to everything else.

References

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