FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Families left homeless by the 2019 earthquake have pinned their hopes on this year's electoral campaign to find a solution, while the opposition in Durrës accuses the government of using public money for the earthquake as a means to secure votes.
For many families damaged by the 2019 earthquake in the Durrës region, the electoral campaign for the May 11 elections is a moment of hope that promises made for years will finally become reality.
"They are making fun of us, they are not giving us a date. We have no hope left," says Hava Lleshi in Thumanë, who, together with her family, is eagerly awaiting the receipt of the reconstruction fund and the construction of their own house. Together with her two minor children, she lives between the container and the uninhabitable house, where on the cold days and nights of winter and in this viral situation, they can light the wood stove and warm themselves.
More than five years after the tragic earthquake of November 26, 2019, the reconstruction process in the Durrës region remains a problematic issue, highlighting the failure to fulfill promises made to return families to their homes. Despite the efforts and allocated funds, the municipalities of Durrës, Shijak and Krujë show different paces and results in this process.
Although the authorities promised to complete the process in 2022, two years later, hundreds of families are still waiting to move into their new homes. For the opposition, the money spent on this process has been misused for electoral campaigns, and they expect the same to happen this year.
"They were also used in the 2021 and 2023 elections, providing compensation for families in buildings initially designated DS3 and then transferred to DS4 for demolition or reinforcement," says opposition municipal councilor in Durrës, Joni Myshketa.
He blames the lack of transparency for the use of the 1.2 billion fund that was received in the form of grants and soft loans, while the super-ministry that was created for this purpose ended up with a fugitive minister.
"A super-ministry of reconstruction was also created, led by a minister who is now on the run and denounces his former government. Meanwhile, the issue of those affected by the earthquake still remains unresolved," said Mushketa.
For years in containers and ruins
Containers, as a temporary solution officially declared by the government, continue to remain the safest shelter for many families in the Durrës region, who fear that after every tremor, no matter how slight, of the earthquake felt in the area, the homes damaged since 2019 could completely collapse.
Hava Lleshi is also in this situation. The container where she lives with her family is safe, but icy and with an insufficient surface area for her family of 6 members. She says that she has pinned her hopes this year. In January, a list with the names of the beneficiaries and the funds they receive to rebuild the damaged houses was published by the Thumana administrative unit.
They were told that the funds would be released in February, after the land on which the house will be built has been assessed. But February is also coming to an end and they are no longer given any deadline, so the approaching elections are seen as a new opportunity by many residents.
"They told us that they will wait for answers to the seismic analyses of the land and then they will give us the funds. I don't know if that fund will be released to rebuild the house, but I was happy when the list came out after so many years. I was in the early stages of pregnancy when the earthquake hit. Now my son is 4 years old and we are still unorganized and uncertain. I can't wait for the house to be rebuilt and for the children to move in," says Lleshi.
Shpresa Guçe also stands in the beach area of Durrës with the hope that her plight will be resolved. The recent rains that caused massive flooding in Durrës affected her as well. The water penetrated the container that is located in the shade of the house that was irreparably damaged by the earthquake.
"What fell outside, came inside. I'm drowning in the house, I can't stay in the container," she said. "I don't know what's happening in this country. It's been 6 years since I've been left on the streets, living like a dog with my nieces. After the last rain, I took them to my daughter. How long will it be like this?!" she says.
The woman says they received promises in every campaign and that she was promised a house directly from the mayor, but nothing happened.
Partial transparency
According to official data from the Municipality of Durres to BIRN, over 14.3 billion lek out of the total 15.6 billion lek allocated for the period 2020-2024 have been used. These funds have been invested in housing reconstruction, improving drainage infrastructure and the systematization of urban areas.
The municipality also said that 18,319 applicants have benefited so far. However, the municipality does not state the number of families that have not yet benefited from the reconstruction program, a lack of transparency that raises questions about the real progress of the process and the beneficiaries.
On the ground, many families still live in inadequate conditions. The new apartments, although built, face significant infrastructure deficiencies, such as the lack of electricity and sewage connections. These delays have been justified by the municipality as “specific problems.”
"We inform you that the reconstruction process has not yet been completed and the reasons for the delays are different, depending on each application," the written response that the municipality initiated states.
Bashkim Gjika, a resident of neighborhood no. 5 and chronically ill, also known as the man behind the protests against delays in Durrës, feels hopeless due to the lack of information about when he will move into his new apartment.
"We agreed to move to the new neighborhood in Spitallë because we were told that there would be no more buildings there. The lottery was held, that's all. Not even keys. Nothing," Gjika complains.
In Durrës, there are still buildings that have not received a response from the Construction Institute about what to do with them. Among them, according to sources from the Municipality, is the one owned by Fiqiri Farruku's "Falke shpk" company, near the "Kushtrimi i Lirisë" school.
"We don't know anything. We live inside it in fear for our lives," says a resident as she seeks help to understand what is happening.
"We have thousands of families without a rent bonus for more than 3 years who have been forced to move back into their homes that have not been affected since the earthquake, risking their lives," said councilor Mushketa, who accuses the governing majority of irresponsibility "to the detriment of lives and not only in misuse and mismanagement of public funds."
Meanwhile, in Shijak, the reconstruction process has been managed mainly by the Albanian Development Fund, leaving the municipality with a minimal implementing role and mainly as a beneficiary unit. According to the data, all projects have been completed, assisting 874 collapsed private homes, 339 apartments for reconstruction and 521 apartments built from scratch. Shijak is the only municipality in the region that declares the full completion of the reconstruction process, leaving none of the affected families without a solution.
Unlike Shijak and Durrës, the Municipality of Krujë, after more than a month and a half, has not yet returned an official response to the questions posed by BIRN, despite the legal deadlines having passed. This silence shows the lack of transparency in the face of such a vital process for citizens. Meanwhile, on the ground, the reality speaks of families who continue to live in difficult conditions, hoping that the promises made in the post-earthquake period will be fulfilled, at least before the elections. Otherwise, another difficult year awaits them./BIRN
Lini një Përgjigje