Save the Blue Heart of Europe - A campaign for the protection of Balkan Rivers
Under Pressure: Water Abstraction in the Vjosa Wild River National Park
The report, Under Pressure: Water Abstraction in the Vjosa Wild River National Park, provides a comprehensive assessment of the hydrological impacts, legal ramifications, and ecological threats facing the river system. It identifies water abstraction as the primary danger to the integrity of the Vjosa Wild River National Park (WRNP), noting that the most severe pressure occurs during the August low-flow period. During this critical window, the conflict between human extraction and the river’s ecological survival reaches a breaking point. For instance, in August 2025, the river’s discharge near Poçem was measured at approximately 20 m³/s, yet analysis of just two major irrigation channels, including the Levan-Fier Canal, revealed a combined extraction of roughly 9 m³/s. This indicates that about one-half of the river’s total flow is diverted for agricultural use during its most vulnerable month.