Western Balkans Environment Programe

 Shkoder/Bajza, 5 June 2009- UNDP Hotspots Programme organized a television debate to discuss Bajza hotspot rehabilitation process and briefed 20 primary school teachers from Malesia e Madhe district on basic concepts of environmental protection by giving tool kits and classroom ideas on how to use a new perspective and information package with their children. 

 The Bajza hotspot issue and the need to raise awareness on the paramount importance of high environmental standards for human health were the theme of the TV debate organized in "ARENA" talk show, with the largest audience of the Shkodra based television network which covers Northern and Northwestern Albania territory, as well as Southern Montenegro.

 Representatives from UNDP, local community and experts of the field discussed on efforts being made to fully rehabilitate Bajza hotspot and more in general terms stressed the need to inform the general public on their environmental rights and how to use them.

 Ms.Klodiana Marika, Project Manager of UNDP Hotspots Programme  sais that June 5 is known as the International Environmental Day, so we have chosen this day to transmit to the community of Bajza and Kastrati the message that very soon the railway station will be completely cleaned up and this can create new development opportunities for the community, a healthy environment, not longer posed to the threat of the disposed waste.

 She added that Bajza project is a pilot project and that she hoped that this will be replicated to other clean up projects aiming towards a healthy and secure environment, which goes further to sustainable environment for Albania.

 Mr.Zamir Dedej, head of Institute of Nature Protection in Albania ( INCA) and Ms.Diana Bejko, representative of Regional Environmental Center(REC)  in Shkodra gave an overview of their activities in the region.  

UNDP is also working with other countries in the Western Balkans to address environmental problems through remediation of high priority hot spots project is part of a regional programme and covers nine hotspots in the Western Balkans.

The area being rehabilitated in Albania is Bajza railway station near Shkodra Lake where expired pesticides and industrial chemicals have been stored. The project aims to improve the environmental situation and quality of life for citizens living in and around polluted areas. This is being done through least cost measures, improved local and national policy dialogue and supply of domestic professional services in the environmental management sector.

An interview with Ms.Adriana Micu, Head of Crosscuting Cluster: Environment, Gender, CSOs at UNDP Albania aired during the TV debate can be viewed by copying the following the link to your browser:

 http://www.youtube.com/whatch?v=a194mULxESQ&feature=channel_page

High school students, teachers, health workers, and representatives of the local authority, Bajza commune, environmental NGOs and the media agree on the need to improve the quality of life of local residence through environmental regeneration.. The seminar was organized by the UNDP project, Identification and prioritization of environmental hotspots in Albania. Strengthening capacities in Western Balkans countries to address environmental problems through remediation of high priority hot spots is a regional project that covers nine areas of environmental concern. The area to be rehabilitated in Albania is the Bajza railway station near Shkodra Lake where expired pesticides and industrial chemicals have been stored. The Project is funded by the Government of the Netherlands.Technical coordinator Ms. Klodiana Marika informed the seminars participants of the steps underway by UNDP to fully rehabilitate the area. She also announced the introduction of an environmental programme within the school curricula to ensure the next generation is better informed about the need to safeguard the natural environment.

TIRANA – 10 JULY 2008 – Sound environmental policies are prerequisites for sustainable economic development, thus it is important to further approach EU environmental standards on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and enhance the capacities of central and local governments to implement these policies.

These were the conclusions of a seminar conducted in the framework of two hotspots projects implemented by UNDP. The seminar was attended by 35 representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Economy, local authorities in the relevant hotspot areas Universities and NGOs.

  On 8th of May, the Project organized a one day seminar with journalists of written and electronic media of Shkodra (city situated 15 km from Bajza railway station).  A similar activity was performed with the main written and electronic media of Tirana on 30 May.

What coverage do the environmental issues have in the media today in Albania?  Do journalists have a good understanding of the correlation between human health and environment? How to cover these issues in a cogent and thoughtful manner?

  Though it was not possible to perform a comprehensive analyzes of all these interrogatives in one day, the seminars were conceptualize in a way to give them the road map that leads to the identification of the fundamental steps  to be taken to cover Bajza hot spot issue in the most efficient manner.

Bajza hot spot came to national and international attention thanks to documentary movie “Death Train” realized by Xhemal Mato, the main Albanian authority in environmental journalism. During his presentation in both seminars, Mr. Mato stressed the power of media to highlight and solve many problems of the society, to include the environment.  The movie was also projected.

In addition to this, Ms. Klodiana Marika, technical coordinator of the project “Identification and prioritization of environmental hot spots in Albania”, gave an overview of what were considered hot spots, with figures illustrating the global situation with a special focus on the Bajza environmental hot spot.

The efforts of UNDP Project to rehabilitate Bajza hot spot had broad coverage on the main Albanian newspaper “Shekulli” and Koha TV, a leading TV station in Albania.