After numerous protests and the prosecution of the court case, the Administrative Court of the First Instance gives the right to the inhabitants of the villages of Thirrë, Sang and Hebë by canceling the permit and prohibiting the construction of two hydropower plants together with a water factory at the source of Krazhna in these areas.
The Center for Legal Empowerment represented 166 residents of the villages of Thirrë, Sang and Hebë, to appeal to the Administrative Court of the First Instance of Tirana and object to the permission given by public bodies for construction and economic development to the detriment of the environment where they live.
On February 24, the court decided to cancel the permits, ruling in favor of environmental protection.
The permit for the construction of the HPP and the water factory in the Thirra area was granted on June 20, 2018, and the residents immediately protested, accusing the company of forging signatures and filing criminal charges against it.
Also, 166 residents addressed the case before the Administrative Court of First Instance. Specifically, in the claim, the plaintiffs requested:
- Finding the absolute invalidity of the Decision on the preliminary EIA, No. 103, approved by Decision No. 07, dt. 21.02.2017, for the development of the “HEC Thirrë” project, of the National Environment Agency.
- Finding the absolute invalidity of the Decision on the preliminary EIA, No. 665, approved by Decision No. 56, dt. 07.11.2016, for the development of the project “Drinking water bottling plant”, of the National Environment Agency.
At the same time, while the legal process was being developed by the CLE lawyers, the residents continuously held protests for the protection of the environment and water resources of this area, which were severely affected by the construction of the Thirrë HPP and the water factory at the Krazhna source. These residents have inherited their properties from generation to generation in these villages and have linked their livelihood and family history to these water sources. The construction of the HPP and the water factory leaves the residents of this area without means of livelihood, as they take away the main element, which is water. In many cases, the protests have ended with arrests of protesters.
