Hydropower vs Flood Control in Dam and Basin Management Levels Workshop on “Flood management in a transboundary context”, 13-14.12.2011, Zagreb, Croatia

1. HYDROPOWER VS Flood CONTROL in
DAM and BASIN MANAGEMENT LEVELS
Shkoder, ALBANIA Jan.2010 Flooding

2. 20 DECEMBER 2009 the inundation of the Shkodra valley
started because of the heavy rain.
29 DECEMBER 2009 HPP spillways started to operate with
short intervals
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

3. The inundation in Shkoder
In early December heavy rainfall in the catchments of the Drini River
and Shkodra Lake led to flooding of an estimated 14,500 ha of farmland
and settled areas including the city of Shkodra, within Shkodra
Prefecture.
It has been reported that 4,600 houses have been directly affected by
the flooding, causing the evacuation of some 12,145 people. A further
14,646 livestock were also evacuated during the peak period of
flooding.
No deaths or casualties directly related to the flooding have been
reported
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

5. The inundation in Shkoder
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

6. The inundation in Shkoder
School was suspended
Main Infrastructure damaged
Water Supply
National and Rural Roads
Bridges
Agriculture Infrastructure
Agriculture Products

7. The inundation in Shkoder
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

8. Flooding in the Drini/Buna basin
January 2010 - 3.600 m3/sec on Buna River
• 3.000 m3/sec on Drin
• 600 m3/sec on Buna
• 1,500 m3/sec, transport capacity on the Buna river (after merging with
Drin) of on the first 9.5 km which are not protected by dikes.
• 32 km of Buna River is dikeed and has a capacity of 2,200 m3/sec
Even with a fully operational flood management and drainage
system, the rainfall would have resulted in flooding of parts of
the area.
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

9. SOME HISTORY
3.100 m3/sec Maximum inflow registered in Fierza
5.550 m3/sec Maximum inflow registered in Vau i Dejes
1.800 m3/sec Maximum discharge from Vau I Dejes
Maximum inflow with probability 1:10.000 years
Fierza 9.600 m3/sec
Vau i Dejes 12.600 m3/sec
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

10. The inundation in Shkoder
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

11. The inundation in Shkoder
Area flooded in Montenegro
from the increased level of
Shkodra Lake
Area flooded in Montenegro
from increase of level on
Buna River

12. The inundation in Shkoder
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

13. Drini & Buna River Basin
The Drini/Buna River Basin is one single ecosystem
It extends across national boundaries shared by:
Albania
FYROM
Kosovo
Montenegro
Drini River Basin has a catchment area of 14,173 km2
Since 1851 Drini River joined with Buna River which flows out of the
Shkodra Lake.
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

14. Drin River
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

15. Drini & Buna River Basin
Buna 41 km long
Mean annual flow 680 m3/sek
From Shkodra lake 320 m3/sek
From Drin 360 m3/sek
Floods are natural phenomena in the
Drini/Buna basin
Excessive snow melt in the Drini River headwaters (which occurs in January-March months);
High rainfall in lower reach of Drini Basin causing to Drini River to have high flows; and/or
High rainfalls in Drini and over the Lake Shkodra Basin can cause combined flows of Drini and
Buna Rivers to have high flows which over top the Buna River Banks

16. Drini & Buna River Basin
• Drin is the biggest river in Albania with a total length of
about 450 km
• Drin 160 km
▫ White Drin 170km
▫ Black Drin 120 km
• Black Drin sources from Ohrid Lake which soruces from
Prespa Lake
• Perennial average water flow of Drin River Fierza HPP is
about 230 m3/sec and at Vau i Dejes 330 m3/sec
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

17. Drini & Buna River Basin
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

18. Drini & Buna River Basin
5 HPP constructed in Drin
White Drin no HPP
Black Drin Globocica / Spilje
Skavica suggested in the feasibility study
Drin Fierza / Koman / Vau I Dejes
Ashta in process
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

19. Drini & Buna River Basin
FIERZA HPP
Dam/rockfilled/claycore/Height 167 m
Total water volume of Fierza Lake 2.7 billion m3
Max water level 296 a.s.l.
297 a.s.l. agreement with ex Yugoslav government
Combined max. discharge capacity from the Tunnels
and Turbines 3.225 m3/sec
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

21. Drini & Buna River Basin
KOMAN HPP
• Dam/rockfilled/Concrete faced/Height 115 m
• Total water volume of Koman Lake 500 millon m3
• Max. Water level 175 m a.s.l.
• Combined discharge capacity from the Tunnels
and Turbines 3.600 m3/sec at 171 m a.s.l.
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

22. KOMANI DAM
KOMANI
POWER HOUSE

23. Drini & Buna River Basin
VAU I DEJES HPP
• Distance from city of Shkodra 18 km
• Dams
▫ Zadeje / rock filled / clay core 60 m
▫ Qyrsaq / gravity concrete & rock filled/clay core 46 &47 m
▫ Ragam/ rock filed 29 m
• Total water volume of Vau i Dejes Lake 580 millon m3
• Max. Water level 76 m a.s.l.
• Combined discharge capacity from the Spillway and
Turbines 6.900 m3/sec
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

25. Drini & Buna River Basin
SPILJE
GLOBOCICA

26. DRIN DISCHAGRGE
REGUALTIONS
Safety Factor 1% 0.1% 0.01 %
October – March 4.570 m3/sec 6.100 m3/sec 9.600 m3/sec
April – May 1.600 m3/sec 2.050 m3/sec 2.500 m3/sec
If the water level at Koman Dam downstream of Fierze is more than 170 m
a.s.l. the water from Fierza dam can be discharged only by full operation of the
turbines, about 550 m3/sec
According to the discharge regulation for the three dams in Drin River, in
winter discharge tunnels should be opened at 290m a.s.l. at Fierza dam and
the water level must not be increased at 296 m a.s.l.
Because of possible landslides. Fierza dam has a 15 m freeboard to resist the
possible increase of the volume and height of wave to be created.
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

27. Drini & Buna River Basin
• There were some ten or more major floods
since
1851: 1854: 1905: 1962-63:
1970-71: 1979: 1992: 2003:
2010 January
2010 Nov-Dec
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

28. Flooding in the Drini/Buna basin
7 January 2010 - 3.600 m3/sec on Buna River
• 3.000 m3/sec on Drin
• 2.400 m3/sec max discharge from HPP (as reported from the media)
• Gjader and Kir torrent, after the Vau i Dejes HPP, contributed to the increase of flow
• 600 m3/sec on Buna (from Shkodra lake)
• 1,500 m3/sec, transport capacity on the Buna river (after merging with
Drin) of on the first 9.5 km which are not protected by dikes.
• 32 km of Buna River is dikeed and has a capacity of 2,200 m3/sec
Even with a fully operational flood management and drainage
system, the rainfall would have resulted in flooding of parts of
the area.
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

29. Flood Management
Media tried to blame Albania Power Corporation about the Flood
The graph below shows in brown the natural flow on Vau I Dejes
and in Green the real discharge from Turbines and Spillways
Fierze Shkarkimi nga porta(m3/s)
Koman Shkarkimi nga porta(m3/s)
V. Dejes Shkarkimi nga porta(m3/s)
Prurja Natyrale ne Vaun e Dejes
Hydropower versus Flood control in dam and basin management levels

30. Flood Management
Council of Ministers declared "state of civil
emergency" and founded an Inter-ministerial
Committee with the Chairmanship of
DeputyPrimeMinister
Institutions Involved on Flood Management
Emergency Directorate – Acting as coordinator
Ministry of : Interior Affairs / Defense / Health /
Economy / Public Works & Transport / Shkodra
Prefecture/ several Communes, etc.

31. Flood Management
Albania officially requested for international
assistance on 7 January 2010
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA)
UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
UN Development Program (UNDP)
CARITAS
RED CROSS / RED CRESCENT
Governments of : USA, Italy, UK, Norway, Netherland,
Germany, Kosovo, Greece, Montenegro, FYROM, etc.

32. Flood Management
AID CAME AS
transportation boats for shallow water,
transport helicopters,
high capacity water pumps,
mobile power generators,
fuel,
food,
medicine

33. Flood Management
In addition
around 1,200 individuals from the army, police, fire
fighters and other state departments were deployed
to assist the evacuation of people and their animals
and provide health support, land protection, and to
protect dams to reduce further flooding
Several engineers, hydrologists, geologists, and other
technicians, assisted as international consultants

34. Flood Management
GREAT
EVERYTHING DONE ACCORDING TO THE BOOK
than
WHY DID IT HAPPENED AGAIN IN ?????!!!!!!!!!!!
FEBRUARY
MAY
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER

35. Flood Management
Buna River and Shkodra Lake are considered as
International waters. Nothing was done by the two
countries, for the last 20 years, to increase the
management of this vital water sources
Since the January 2010 flood, Albanian and Montenegro
Governments have intensified their collaboration in
finding solutions in benefit of both countries and the
population affected
The two countries are seeing the possibility of
deepening the Buna River bed and cleaning the sea
outfall

36. Flood Management
There was no advertising from measures on
White Drin or Black Drin outside of Albanians
border on increase on rainfall, following in few
days an increase of flow.
There was no advertising from Spile HPP on
discharging schedules (to my knowledge)
Problem to be solved on preparing an integrated
management system on the hole Drin system

37. Flood Management
Prespa Lake
Ohrid Lake
Black Drin
Drin
Buna
ARE ONE SINGEL ECOSYSTEM AN INTEGRATED
BASIN MANAGEMENT BETWEEN GREECE, FYROM,
KOSOVA AND ALBANIA MUST BE PUT IN PLACE

38. Flood Management
Construction of Ashta HPP, downstream of
Vau I Dejes is very different from Bushati
study with a dam and a small reservoir
Nothing can be done at this stage

39. Flood Management
Construction of Skavica HPP, up stream of
Fierza with a big reservoir would not only
increase by about 30% the production of
Drin cascade (within Albanian border) but
will also do perennial regulation of Drin
flow
This is one of the priorities of Albanian
Government in the field of Safety and Power
Production

40. Flood Management
Albania Power Corporation (KESH) was
producing at the maximum possible during
the flood, but the system couldn’t supported
all the energy produced by KESH
Problem solved during this year a new
interconnection line with Montenegro
integrates better Albania with Regional
Network.

41. Flood Management
Buna River has 31 km of dikes which didn’t
performed according to their purpose.
Albanian Government has invested just during
2011, about 10 million USD on dikes and drainage
system rehabilitation/improvement
(reference from Ministry of Agriculture officials)
Albanian Government in collaboration with World
Bank is in process of a study to analyze the
hydraulic characteristic of Shkodra Valley to
determine the best long term solution on floods