Conversation with three chairmen of the district executive committees of the KP: Lushnjë The prolonged drought calls on us to be constantly vigilant in using sparingly the water reserves we have left. Each day we need to irrigate 1,800 hectares of crops, whereas in reality the schedule covers no more than 700–800 hectares. We have reserves for one more irrigation of all the crops planted in August. We are giving priority in this service to vegetables and fodder crops. The inflows at Banja and the reserves at Thana are very limited. Agricultural crops need moisture right up to harvest. Faced with this situation, the Party and state authorities in the district and at the grassroots have taken every measure to use each water reserve sparingly. Not only are we avoiding waste, but water is being applied to the planted crops drop by drop. We are insisting on maintaining the balance needed to cope with the drought and the crops’ needs. Wherever possible, irrigation is also being done with buckets. The canals have been blocked off, making use of the free-flowing water. All the electric pumps are operating. Not a drop of water is being wasted. Specialists and cadres are leading the work, calculating every day how much water the irrigated crops need. Our workers are responding to the exceptional drought situation with exceptional work. Dhimitër Çili Gjirokastër The situation is difficult, but people are on their feet. We have conserved our water reserves (the reservoirs contain only 8 million cubic metres of water) so that normal irrigation can continue until August 15, balancing the reserves at the end of each month for current and winter vegetables, late maize and especially seed maize, fodder crops, and irrigation for livestock [?]. We have blocked the drainage collectors to gather water reserves and are collecting groundwater [?] from riverbeds by digging and filtering, as at Picar, Sukë and Kardhiq. But above all, what matters is the people’s hands-on work. The district and farm task forces monitor and check implementation of the specified duties every day. The same waterworks are now being used by more than one farm that is short of water: those of Policanit by Zagoria, Glina by Dolfi[?], «Muzo Asqeriut» by Dhoksati, and Lunxhëria by Odria. We have increased the number of irrigation shifts and limited their duration; the daily schedule is exceeded every day without any waste. The Water Enterprise, the Land Reclamation Enterprise and the SMT are responding well, with their equipment ready. We have two problems: at the UEM in Durrës, repairs to electric motors take a very long time and their quality is poor; and, secondly, we are not receiving our daily quota of fuel oil. We are confident that, through extraordinary effort, we will overcome this difficult situation. Flamur Çani Elbasan The exceptionally prolonged drought has created a very difficult situation because water reserves have fallen to a minimum. This is especially evident in the Dumre area, where the lakes from which water is drawn to irrigate crops are on the verge of drying up. The decline in water reserves has been felt sharply in recent days, day by day, even in the areas of Cërrik, Peqin and elsewhere. But with extraordinary conservation measures—irrigating when temperatures are not high, that is, in the morning and at night, and increasing the number of cooperative members involved in irrigation so that every drop of water is used—it will be possible to avert the negative effects. Special care is being taken on all the district’s farms with maize, vegetables and fodder crops, which are directly connected with supplying the population. A task force has been set up at the Executive Committee to take all necessary measures to cope with the drought. The chairman, who convenes a meeting every two or three nights, reports on water reserves and at the same time decides how the water will be distributed and allocated over the coming days. Although the current situation is much worse than last year’s, the measures being taken in every cooperative, sector and brigade are enabling us to work towards overcoming the drought with as few losses as possible. Fatmir Gjergji

On the eve of the start of the new school year The head of the education section at the Executive Committee of the Tepelenë district KP spoke to us with concern about the condition of the premises at several schools and kindergartens. It seems he has reported on them often, since maintenance work remains unfinished even though September 1 is very near. Thus, at every meeting he mentions the eight-year school in the town of Tepelenë, the secondary school in Maricajt, and the school in Mamaj. And at every meeting he receives either the same promises or the same excuses: “We’ll do it, but we’ve been short of this and that; it’s a remote area, and so on.” In a conversation with the secretary of this district’s Executive Committee, the situation is acknowledged, but the discussion then immediately turns to the construction enterprise’s limited capacity, the lack of this or that material, and a request for help from the Ministry of Construction so that the districts of Gjirokastër and Përmet can take on these tasks. In other words, it is implied that unless this is done, the work will not be completed—not only this year, but even later. The work is difficult, but difficulties cannot be overcome without persevering in finding solutions and making use of every possibility. For example, work has progressed well on projects taken over by the economic centre of education and where there has been good cooperation with the relevant agricultural farms. But this experience is forgotten. At the planning directorate of the Ministry of Education, they mention the schools in question in this district, but they cast their net wider, too: there are similar cases in other districts. An official in this directorate responsible for investments lists a number of schools: the secondary schools in Hekal in Fier, Prrenjas in Gramsh and Divjakë, as well as the eight-year schools in Vajkan in Fier, Rasivë in Krujë, Ostren i Vogël in Dibër, Xhaferrraj in Kukës, in Vlorë, in Dhërmi, and so on. About 35 school buildings are at risk of not being handed over on time, and in almost every case the reasons given are the same: “shortages in supply” or “they are remote areas.” Are these recent observations enough, or are concrete measures and campaigns needed now in ... Berat, Durrës, Elbasan, Librazhd and Tropojë, which have managed to find resources within themselves and make good progress. The determination shown by this ministry has made it possible to complete around 90 new school buildings nationwide. But in some districts, such as Tepelenë, the problem lies with the construction enterprises, which have made delays, failure to meet deadlines, excuses and complaints the chief items on their agenda; others, such as Tirana, Erseka and Skrapari, have the problem within their own ranks as well—that is, in their economic centres. Depending on the case, one side blames the other. Thus, whenever construction of this kind is discussed in Ersekë, delays are also brought up. For years people talked about the Gështisht school; as soon as it was finished, the Qafzez school took its place. The story is the same: the economic centre wants the construction enterprise to take it on, while the construction enterprise says that “the agricultural farm should finish it.” A bureaucratic relay race! And now, on the eve of September 1, they are waiting for solutions, as if a whole year had not been enough?! In all the districts we have mentioned, as well as others, there is also a wealth of good experience that is not being put to proper use. For example, a few years ago in Tirana district, nearly 80 school buildings were repaired in a single season with the help of the city’s economic enterprises. It was all done in a very short time. This year, however, the names of two schools in this district are often mentioned in meetings and reports: those in the villages of Domje and Varosh. As everywhere else, here too one hears: “supplies are lacking and the area is remote.” But the fact is that when these buildings were scheduled for construction, both the difficulties and the distances were known. So who are they waiting to solve the problem? Clearly, this is more a matter of excuses, since in the districts mentioned there are also schools that are not being built even though they are in the middle of a town, as in Tepelenë, or whose materials are lying in the middle of the road, as in Qafzez of Kolonjë. Such facts show that in some cases these tasks ... are being avoided in order to get the problems off one’s own back. But this does nothing except accumulate and carry forward problems that will become harder to solve later. In such cases, assistance and oversight by the Party and state authorities in the district are essential, and they will be effective if everything that needs to be ready is ready by September 1. THOMA GJELÇI The schools in Xhallerrat, Kukës, Vlorë, Dhërmi, etc. There are nearly 35 school buildings at risk of not being handed over by the deadline, these latest findings justified, or are concrete measures and work drives needed so that the overdue tasks can be completed in a short period? It goes without saying that where there really is no capacity, and where assistance and cooperation are possible, within or outside the district, they should be provided. Nothing stands in the way. The Ministry of Education has often intervened for this purpose, and has at times mobilized resources that had gone unused by the education economic centres or construction enterprises. In some districts, such as

Effective methods even when ...

Careful use of the water we have

IN POGRADEC: Genci Starova, chief engineer of the Water Enterprise in the Pogradec district, gives us the following figures on the water situation in the reservoirs. Today, the reservoirs throughout this district contain a total of 1 million 800 thousand cubic metres of water, which is equal to 21 percent of their storage capacity. With this amount, in the complete absence of rainfall, irrigation in the agricultural cooperatives of the Lower and Upper Mokra areas, at reduced rates, can continue for only about 21 days. But what about the crops’ needs? “Our greatest concern is the maize plots,” explains the chief agronomist of the agriculture section, (Continued on page 2)

IN SKRAPAR: At the Water Directorate in the Skrapar district, we learn that the district’s 12 reservoirs have fallen to 10–15 percent of their capacity for the reporting period. As a result of irrigation having begun several months earlier, agricultural farms have been supplied with more than 500 thousand cubic metres of water beyond the planned amount. Across the district, about 3,700 hectares have so far been irrigated with various crops, such as maize, vegeta- bles, fodder crops, etc. There have been no power cuts, so all the electric pumps are ready and fully operational. But how is irrigation being carried out? The drought is severe. The reservoirs are almost empty. The only option left is irrigation using pumping stations. As we learned in conversations at several agricultural farms, work is being done with (Continued on page 2)

After identifying needs and gathering views from residents of neighbourhoods and workers from their various collectives in the district of Vlorë, in order to expand services and improve their quality, opportunities are being opened for people to provide services on their own initiative. Of the 70 requests submitted so far, 25 citizens have begun operating various services such as snack bars and grill houses, pastry shops, tavë bakers, butcher shops, etc. Appropriate measures have also been taken to establish craft cooperatives by the end of August. The livestock market is particularly lively. Twenty outlets have opened for meat sales, 30 for poultry sales, and 90 for vegetables; work is under way to open another 20 outlets for dairy products. Alongside the many traders in the city, 11 agricultural farm units are also selling their surpluses, as is the livestock market. The authorities are also taking good measures to meet some citizens’ requests to build private homes. So far, 80 construction permits have been issued to citizens who can finance the construction of their own houses. (According to ATSH)

Description It is not yet daylight, yet Konispol is awake. The breeze from the Cjepuri Pass continues to blow, as if to revive conversations left unfinished the previous evening, as if to stir up new debates. You feel as though you are on the threshold of an assembly that will usher in the new day when you see cooperative members gathered beside the old market, a centuries-old landmark in the middle of the town. Four o’clock in the morning. People wait a little longer. They climb into the newly started cars that descend into the half-darkness below, their headlights shining. At the wheel, as always, are the drivers Fatri Kaso, Astrit Rexha and Myfit Basriu, leading the convoy. When you see the cars winding through the olive groves, you get the impression that Konispol is moving away. But this kind of migration is nothing other than the daily journey of the inhabitants of this partly mountainous land toward the plain stretching through the valley of the Pavell River, about ten kilometres west of the town. It is a pleasure to travel alongside the people of Konispol. By nature, they are reserved people. They talk freely about what their eyes see and their ears hear. And for that, news from the press, radio and television is enough for them. They are as curious as they are sociable—a characteristic, too, of people without worries. The farmer Haxhiu Haxhiu has grown grey making the Konispol–plain round trip every day, yet you would not think he was bothered by it. He has a calm, untroubled expression. Sometimes, because of the difficulties of the work, life has become accustomed to him as to something so unusual that guides him through life. He is very much in control of himself, too. After travelling for a while beside the river, between the blocks of orange trees and seasonal crops, the cars stop near a cluster of storehouses. This plain is called the Rrahu plain. Rrahu! Which person from Konispol does not know what Rrahu is? The sweat of several generations of farmers has been poured into this soil, until they turned it into fertile land to provide bread for their children, into a granary of corn and wheat. Some plots have yielded more than 60 quintals of wheat per hectare or over 105 quintals of corn. Rrahu, this vast expanse of high yields, has often put the courage of the people of Konispol to the test. There is not a handspan of land in Rrahu that has not been moistened by the sweat of the young, as they fulfil their word. Rrahu is a little piece of life that belongs to everyone. In winter and summer, work never stops across the expanses of Rrahu. Vehicles bring all kinds of fertilizers and chemicals and take agricultural produce to meet the needs of the market. Here people work day and night in three shifts, especially during campaigns and work drives. The young men and women of Konispol grow into adults here; they come to know the virtues of the school better. Sympathies and love are born here, too. Fatmir Plaku and Shpëtim Taka, or Rait Selmani and Mbabiré Buçku, met and fell in love right here, among the plots of Rrahu, during the dance evenings held at night. Young people who have not yet found their match have been carried away from Rrahu. So Rrahu is the land of their work and their songs—the synonym of life in Konispol. At the head of the Rezhan plot, cooperative chairman Nexhmi Hoxha is debating with chief agronomist Vangjel Hito. Their voices and gestures reveal their growing concern for the corn. They are discussing the upkeep of this particular crop in the Rezhan plot. There are 1.2 million corn plants, up to three metres tall. When they were planted farther apart, the plants were at risk of failing to develop, but now they are vigorous. Fertilizing, irrigation and the other work were carried out on time. High yields are therefore expected. The special care devoted to it has been undertaken in order to achieve a record harvest. Another plot is Zguri, where brigadier Muço Lame works, as do the shepherd brothers Zaim and Pajtım Ademi. Their conversation flows not merely as cooperative members striving for high yields, but as parents and family members attached to their home and their family’s wellbeing. Haxhiu never tires of talking about his two sons. Ylli, the older one, is a construction engineer and shares with him his own plans for the future of Konispol. The younger, Sitiu, who listens to his father, head bent, from a corner of the car, is a student and is continuing his studies “to become a doctor.” Zaim and Pajtimi seem to spur each other’s pride as they talk about the results achieved by the flocks they tend. Zaim gets more than 60 litres of milk from his sheep, but it seems little to him when he hears that his brother gets 170 litres from his goats. “Come by our sheepfold sometime too, Haxhi; you’ll see what life in the fields is like. The smell of the sheepfold will do you good, it will refresh you,” the brothers invite him. “That’s right, that’s right—but you come out to the fields too,” Haxhiu replies. “We have cause to celebrate, no joke. Getting 2,000 quintals of wheat above the plan is no small thing...” “You’re boasting quite a lot today, aren’t you, old Haxhi?” the girls tease the old man, and their laughter sparks the cheerful laughter of the young men and women. The young men stand among the girls, imagining their companions as life partners, while the women picture themselves as mothers-in-law to these future brides. (Continued on page 3)

Workers Stavri Kaporari and Xhevahir Janzenxhiu making various kinds of glasses at the glass factory in Korçë. (Photo: N. Xhufka)