Countryside and Water—Fshat i UjitWater Commons: Weaving Together the Water FabricNina Hsu, Nina Rohrer, and Jona Fani

Southern Albania is a karstic mountainous area abundant in water resources, featured in form of springs, creeks, rivers, aquifers, and heavy rainfall. Two long rivers wind through south western Albania: the Vjosa River—the last wild, untouched river of Europe, and the Drino River—endlessly interrupted by agriculture and industry that feeds off its supply. Today, the rivers and their surrounding ecosystems are threatened by the consequences of climate crisis such as aridity, flooding, and pollution, as well as by the intensified uses of the river courses related to hydro energy, tourism, and growing urban areas.

Water connects people, mountains, fields, and infrastructure as they are all part of one metabolism. At the same time it reveals interdependencies between different actors, which could provoke conflicts but also encourage collaboration.

The People of Southern Albania have always had an intimate relationship with water. For them, water symbolises life and beauty, resilience, transformation, grace, and fluidity, as well as fear and destruction, as animated in ancient legends in which rivers become personified actors, such as “Mother Vjosë.”

Throughout the area of the Gjirokastër region there are a variety of water infrastructures: from old Ottoman bridges, wells, water distribution systems and houses for storing water, to socialist irrigation and drainage works. However, the region is often confronted with floods and erosion of arable lands. Furthermore, in many small mountain villages water distribution systems have not been maintained or upgraded since the early nineties. There, the water infrastructures are in poor condition: dry, polluted and sometimes even completely broken.

We believe that collective action is needed to overcome problems concerning irrigation, drainage, water supply and sewage system in the region. We believe that water has the power to create public spaces that attract people and to create connections and interdependencies between different stakeholders, which would further drive the creation of water communities in the region.

LERAS: A HIGH ALTITUDE REHYDRATION NETWORK

The summits of the mountains are the recharge areas of underground water supplies which result in springs at lower heights. These areas of 900–1500 meters above sea level are mainly used by shepherds and their livestock. As the rainwater quickly penetrates the porous karstic rocks of mountain tops, small water infrastructures named leras are built by shepherds to collect the runoff water to sustain the livelihood of the livestock who spend the summer season in the mountains. Despite the frequent use and ease of construction of leras, the cooperation among shepherds for building and maintaining these has nowadays prominently diminished. To revive this valuable building culture, we want to involve other actors in this process.

DHOKSAT: NEGLECTED WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

The village of Dhoksat—famous for its stone masonry and water-engineering works—has a functional existing water distribution system for watering gardens and fields in the village. However, its lack of maintenance has lead to malfunctioning and on certain days water is not distributed properly. We envision an adapted water recycling and distribution system that restores and builds up on the existing infrastructure.

DRINO VALLEY: RECONCILING AGRICULTURE AND THE RIVER

The Drino river almost dries out in summer, whereas frequently floods during winter, damage the surrounding villages and agricultural lands. Black water from households and industry, as well as chemicals and fertilisers used for agriculture pollute the river and affect the valley aquifers. Much of the native flora has been lost from the river banks. For so long, the detrimental effects of agriculture and pollutants have left the river largely unused by the public. Through this project, we hope to reinvigorate life along the riverbanks of the Drino.