The government declares a state of emergency. Rationing begins... “Reserves promise only a few days” The government declares a state of emergency. Rationing begins... The country in the grip of darkness “Reserves promise only a few days” TIRANA — A state of emergency has just been declared by the government in connection with the country’s energy situation. Some time ago it was the Council of Ministers itself that approved a set of measures to save the electricity distribution network from overload. And now it is being forced to return to the issue of electricity with even greater alarm and urgent measures, this time driven by the prolonged drought. The lack of rainfall has drastically reduced water levels in the reservoirs of the hydroelectric plants, threatening to paralyze them completely. For the government there is only one way out: a drastic reduction — by 50 percent — in electricity consumption. In its six-point decision, it is requested that electricity consumption be reduced across all the country’s networks. Exceptions are made — meaning they will be supplied without interruption — for hospitals, drinking-water pumping stations, as well as lighting and mines that absolutely require electricity. The decision places hydroelectric plants, thermal power plants and facilities generating voltage above 35 kilovolts under reinforced protection by the security forces. The order also includes industrial lists that consume electricity, while calling for full-capacity operation of thermal power plants as well as an increase in energy imports.

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TIRANA — Another danger for the electricity network in Albania. Until today it has been threatened by overload; now, unexpectedly, it is faced with a threat of an almost entirely different nature: it is at risk from a “hunger” for electric power. The still dry autumn and winter have caused water levels in the hydroelectric reservoirs to drop to alarming levels, threatening to paralyze them. “Consumption must be halved; within 10 days we are forced to be left without electricity.” The newly appointed deputy minister, Shehu, has been forced to appeal to the population, asking for more prudent use of electricity, but he has also warned about the possibility of a total black-out if the government’s instructions are not followed. For several consecutive years now, Albania’s electricity system has been struggling in the mire of a serious crisis without being able to get out of it. Deep political and economic changes, brought about by a revolution and in electricity consumption, caused the traditional balance to collapse. The decline in electricity production on one side was accompanied by its rapid increase in consumption on the other. From 7 million kilowatt-hours the previous year, daily electricity consumption in the country has now reached — especially in winter — about 13 million kilowatt-hours. And the many projects for rehabilitating the energy system — projects drawn up and financed by the World Bank or the EBRD — have remained only a faint hope. Albania’s electric system was created in 1957. It consists of 11 hydroelectric plants and 9 thermal plants with respective capacities of 1,446 and 224 megawatts. The most powerful energy sources — about 80 percent of the system’s installed capacity — are three hydroelectric plants: Fieri, Vau i Dejës, Koman and Fierzë, built in the cascade of the Drin River. Now the reservoirs of the three giants — Fierz[a?] 2.8 billion, Koman 600 million and Vau i Dejës 500 million cubic meters — are threatened with depletion because of the prolonged drought. And yet, the terms of Aki-[?] remain a wasteful user of energy for housing, causing dozens of failures per day. The increase in electricity consumption has made — according to specialists — the change from 6 to 20 kilovolts of the distribution network voltage necessary. According to some calculations, the investments needed to improve the power network are estimated at 6 million 815 thousand dollars for imported materials and 20 million 715 thousand dollars to cover the local cost of these projects. PROJECTS IN THE ENERGY SECTOR (In million lekë) Projects in the energy sector | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | Total Rehabilitation of hydroelectric plants | 200 | 950 | 1,200 | 2,350 Rehabilitation of the electricity transmission network | 150 | 350 | 1,220 | 1,720 Rehabilitation of the electricity distribution network | 300 | 400 | 2,100 | 2,800 Electricity distribution system | 100 | 250 | 250 | 600 Energy program for homes | 450 | 750 | 800 | 2,000 Planning study in the energy sector | 93 | 60 | 40 | 193

TIRANA — Lines of people have reappeared in the capital in front of bread shops. The reason is the lack of electricity. Many electric bakeries have sharply reduced production, and bakers — perhaps also driven by premature panic — have flocked to the shops or to the still old-fashioned wood-fired bakeries. Once again, the bitter consequences of the government’s policy of importing electrical equipment are being recorded, in this case bread ovens. In recent years — to meet the needs of the population and the massive consumption of the almost exhausted bread industry — electric ovens have been imported in large numbers by private entities encouraged by the state. But it seems that measures taken to satisfy immediate needs may also produce entirely opposite results in the future. It is precisely the electric ovens, whose speed is great, that are leaving citizens without bread. Yet the government has promised uninterrupted supply of electricity to the main bread ovens. Guided by an infallible instinct, citizens have sensed the decline in supply and have taken their places in lines — almost from the earliest hours — in front of shops and bakeries. Perhaps once again the impulse to buy large amounts of bread at the same time...

MILAN — A 22-year-old Albanian girl, Shpresa Kanani, who emigrated from Përmet, was found dead on the pavement of Spadari Street. Murder in Milan Albanian girls raped in Italy MILAN — A 22-year-old Albanian girl, Shpresa Kanani, who emigrated from Përmet, was found dead on the pavement of Spadari Street in the historic center of Milan. According to the preliminary hypothesis from a day earlier, she had been raped and then killed. At about 2:30 a.m. a passer-by noticed the young woman, half-naked, with her head on the pavement. On the body of the Albanian girl there were visible severe injuries on the face, neck and hands, as well as signs of dragging, as if her body had been pulled by a vehicle. Her family had called, against [something], and the young woman, recently arrived in Italy, appears to have been unknown to the authorities. Meanwhile, in Florence, an illegal network from Albania to Italy has been uncovered. A 15-year-old girl was kidnapped while playing in front of her house and was brought by force to Italy. It remains unknown where she was persuaded to work as a prostitute in order to repay her [..]. Ten people have been arrested for exploiting prostitution (three men and seven women), among them a 29-year-old Albanian. [..] These days, 20 Albanian citizens in Milan, for 15 days, have been seeking help from the police after a relative of theirs had fallen into the same trap where someone had robbed [someone] in front of her house in Tirana.

Eight people are still missing SHKODËR — The bodies of two of the ten victims of the tragic accident that happened a few days ago have emerged from the depths of the waters of Lake Shkodra, in Montenegrin territorial waters. On Saturday at 1:30 p.m. one of the divers managed to bring to the surface the body of Fatmir Ivzik, 25, from Vraka. A few moments later, diver Sustria also brought out Besnik Hoxha, 23, from Golem. Both lifeless bodies — since they were found in Yugoslav territory — will be subjected to an autopsy in Montenegro before being returned to their families. The list of the unfortunate victims is now complete: besides those found, missing from the family roll call are Leka, Gurrë and Futa, brothers of three children, respectively aged 42 and 35, from Shtoji, Enver Bosta, 35, from Golem, Ilirjan Hoxha, 17, from Golem, Astrit Shtupi, 22, from Golem, Lek Della, 25, from Golem, Gazi Proni, 27, from Zusi, Agron Mandia, 34, from Shkodra. Ar. Ca. Malaria fever: a policeman in prison PERMET — Losing a lighting device has cost him dearly and now he will serve his sentence in prison. This is not about some lamp, the number of which has increased considerably in the southern areas to escape the pursuit of serious crimes with [..] Ar. Ca. The trial and judgment of the defendant were held some days ago. Along with him in the dock was also N.D., former head of the public order branch in another district in the northeast of the process. N.D. was declared innocent and was released directly in the courtroom. [..] “weapon cache” “appears” in the depot of the district of Përmet, after his secret role in some searches of the suspects [..] For reasons of investigative secrecy, no further details have yet been announced. (r.k.)

TIRANA — But perhaps the threat of drought is not so great. European weather stations have reported across Albania the arrival, from the eastern regions of the old continent, of cold air masses. Thus, rain and snow are forecast for Albania as well, including the lowlands. Nevertheless, the distant reports — “imported” from Europe through TV screens — have not been confirmed by the Tirana weather station. And perhaps it is because the electricity has “sabotaged” them. In its absence, it has been impossible to operate the equipment without which the specialists can do nothing.

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Kosovo: 170 Albanians arrested While the world watches distractedly what is happening in Bosnia, Serbian authorities have begun a repressive campaign against the Albanians of Kosovo; since last May, 170 Albanians have been arrested, many of whom are now being held by the association of Serbian Albanian lawyers, who are making it clear and forcing them to say things that are not true. Dozens of Albanian officials throughout Kosovo have been removed from their jobs, while Albanian teachers have also been removed from some schools. According to the authorities, schooling has been completely cancelled while violence continues in the villages of Mitrovica. Chechnya: massacre against civilians Yesterday in a village that was massacred and surrounded in the center, among them four women and seven girls, by the army because of severe [r?] Russian? Many senior officials of the Russian Ministry of the Interior in the north, such as Nesterovskaya, a small center in Ingushetia. According to some military testimonies, here the innocent civilians who had been expelled arrived. The massacre took place in a two-day operation, with clashes in which [..] had passed the morning and Chechnya, 45 kilometres west of Grozny.

Tirana concerned about the situation in Macedonia An official statement from the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed concern about the tense situation in Macedonia. “The new partial measures used to prevent the opening of the Albanian-language university in Tetovo, the ‘University of Tetova’, will respond to the filling of the inherited and unfulfilled gap from the commitment of the Macedonian government and President Gligorov to the integration of Albanians into the Macedonian state,” the statement says, among other things. Meksi returns to Tirana The head of government is in Tirana, Prime Minister Aleksandër Meksi, who left on 16 December for a 3-day official visit to Egypt. In Cairo, on the last leg of his visits, Meksi signed several important agreements.