Kortin residents protest channeling near the Krivareka River

These residents are complaining that the heavy smell and pollution of the river are threatening their health.

Protesters have symbolically attempted to close one of the sewage sources in the Krivareka River by jumping and into the river, until they said they would not stop the protests until the channelway out of the Kamenica municipality centre flows into this river.

Through “Stop poisoning the village”, they sent their messages that they want to stop the sewage flow on the Krivareka River, which runs through the village of Korea, Kamenica.

The head of the Korean village's Local Council, Sejdi Kurteshi, said that for years the entire channeling of the city of Kamenica flows into the river crossing in their village, and this has created a disturbing situation for residents.

Kurteshi declared that they are protesting today for the third time against this pollution of the Kvareka River and that they will not stop until the break of ferries so they do not pass near their village.

He has expressed willingness of village residents to participate in order for this situation to be overcome

The goal of this protest is to keep the river pollution from the city of Kamenica, who have carried the sewer from the exit of the city and at the start of the river releases the channeling, and this protest is to remove this pollution that is causing it. In the evening, the fragrances caused by residents cannot live is the third time we come out after promises, but we're never more organized today and we've decided together with the residents to close the channel because as right as they are we're right to defend ourselves”, he said.

Against the flow of ferries near the river flowing near his home has also been expressed in the imam of the Korean village mosque, Fehmi Leci, who said that because of the pollution of the river from sewage, they cannot even open windows from the severe smell. Neither can he use well water for drink because it is contaminated.

“Lum is very contaminated by sewage, life is really very heavy and difficult. I live very close to the river. I have no home in my backyard. It's hard to get out. It's hard on the way. We have the well, but we don't use it because it's polluted, and we use it only to clean up other simple things, and we drink in the mountain area”, said the mosque imam as much as Cortin.

Life in this village has been difficult because of the pouring of sewage into the Krivareka River, another resident says that the smell that is reeking from the sewage that they are passing on the Krivareka River is endangering their health.

We live close to 100 feet [30 m] near this severe pollution that is very distressing to us. The view itself shows and the protests that we have very different huge dissatisfactions... Blackwater, garbage has made it its own that every day there are no families that are not reported to a doctor because of their throat or lungs, no children who do not receive any medicine or medicine. So even as the poor situation is, it has made us sick, as well as the awesome cholera for people's health”, Ademi said.

Regarding this problem in the municipality of Kamenica, they say they do not have enough budgets to regulate this issue and that they are also seeking assistance from the national level in this respect.

Margarita Rushiti spokesperson of the Kamenica municipality said the municipality of Kamenica supports this protest, but that as a municipality, they cannot take any action because they have no budget. She said they have sought help from several international waste - management organisations if they have received negative answers. While according to Rushit Kamenica for the sewage project, she has received positive answers from the central level.

“Since the beginning of 2018 we have been working extremely hard on analysis of what to do or to take, and the cost of sewage treatment has turned out to be about 18m euros unfortunately the Kamenica municipality has an insufficient budget to deal with the sewage problem, while legally we can't only deal with the Korean problem we've contracted to many international waste water treatment organisations but we haven't received any positive answers... . We are also directed with demands to the Ministry for European Integration, Economic Development, Ministry for Environment and Spatial Planning to see the possibilities if this Kamenica project can enter national projects will have priority, and for that we have received positive response”, she said.

According to her, the Kamenica municipality has also sought assistance from the Bank for Development in resolving the Kamenica sewage issue.

We remember that residents of Kamenica's Koretti have protested Monday and Tuesday, demanding a break in sewage on the Krivareka River that passes by their village/.