June 12, 2020. Gur i Bardhë, Mat. Yesterday, local community of Gur i Bardhë village, Dibër Region, organized a protest to defend Mat River from the hydropower plants. EcoAlbania, as a supporter of the protest, discussed about HPPs impacts in this area and NGO’s representatives were ready to provide their specialized help and expertise. The projects are planned to be built on the Sheshi and Dishi Stream, branches of the Mat River, in the Gur i Bardhë village, one of the 100 tourist villages announced by the government.
Local community is against these hydropower plants, stating that they are ready to protect their river from destruction. “We don’t allow anyone to come here, we will do our best, even if we need to sacrifice ourselves” said one of the ladies at the protest. In the approval for giving an opinion on the construction of hydropower plants to the community and municipality representatives of Klos, they were against the use of HPPs. Local community say they want to invest in tourism, and hydropower plants will undermine this potential development.
General information: The projects are planned to be built in a protected area Mali me Gropa-Bizë-Martanesh. Investments will reach the value of 5.9 million euros, to produce 8.8 MW energy for 2 years.
