Assessment of Pollutant Emissions to support River Basin Management in Albania according to the EU Water Framework Directive

Duration:
2024 - 2027

Financing:
Austria Development Cooperation

Contact Person:
Matthias Zessner

Project Staff:
Steffen Kittlaus, Renata Kaps, Meiqi Liu, Laura-Ainhoa Prischl

National Partners:
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

Internationale Partner:
Agricultural University of Tirana (AUT), Albania
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany

Brief information on the project

In this project, the development of a tool for the assessment of nutrient and pollutant emissions at river basin level is planned for Albania. The ‘Modelling of Regionalised Emissions’ (MoRE) tool will be adapted to the climatic and social conditions of the Mediterranean region and further developed. The point and diffuse emission pathways for the Ishmi catchment, which is known to be the most polluted in Europe, will be analysed. Each of the possible pollution pathways will be analysed separately and the overall impact quantified. The focus will be on demonstrating the applicability of the tool for this river basin, with the aim of transferring the model to other river basins in Albania and its neighbouring countries. In the future, the model will also be used beyond the project by the competent authorities as a decision-making tool to improve the overall water quality of Albanian waters and to plan the necessary measures to reduce pollutant emissions in surface waters. Due to its multidimensionality, the project can provide a valuable information base for deriving efficient measures to improve water quality.