TIRANA – As Albania from north to south is burning from wildfires, the government body in charge of civil emergencies has washed off its hands saying that local bodies should put the situation under control.
There are ongoing wildfires in Shkodra, Lezha, Mirdita, Tepelena, Gjirokastra, Gramsh which have torched dozens of hectares of areas of vegetation and wild life risking also people’s lives.
Dom Gjergj Meta, the Bishop of Rreshen, has reacted to the serious situation created by the fires in a note on FB lamenting the destruction of animals, vegetation and the diverse life that is within Albania’s forests.
Such a situation is common in Albania at this time of the year, and looking back at the past specialists say that there was a mobilization of all relevant bodies to cope with the situation.
The disastrous situation was also admitted by the head of the Civil Emergencies, Haki Cako who revealed that there were 168 fire hotspots during July some of which were caused deliberately.
“Some 598 hectares have been torched by the fires,” he said, putting the blame on the municipalities which, as he said, have not cooperated in face of the situation.
“In any case of natural disaster, the municipalities have the main role to play and to carry the major burden to guarantee the protection of people’s life,” Cako said, adding that the central operational structures as the Armed Forces or State Police are put in action only after the local power resources are exhausted according to the law.
As wildfires go on spreading, torching everything with their unchecked huge flames the central government structures will apparently get engaged when everything has turned into ashes.
To refresh the memory of the readers, in such past disasters even firefighter units from neighboring countries have come to help Albania to put the situation under control in the spirit of regional cooperation. /argumentum.al
