Geographic scope:Albania, Porto Romano environmental hot spot, north of port city of Durrës

Period: April 2006 – June, 2006

Funder: Royal Netherlands Embassy in Albania
Execution of works: SAVA, Brunsbüttel , Germany

Supervision: Ramboll Denmark with IHPA, as subcontractor with special input for the HCH problems

As a part of the remediation efforts of the Porto Romano environmental hot spot, 10 kilometres north of the Albanian port city of Durrës , 313,716 kilograms of heavy pesticides and toxic chemicals have recently been repackaged. Among the pesticides were large quantities of lindane (partly in an almost 100 percent pure form) and carbon disulfide. The chemicals were stored in warehouses in Bishti i Pallës that were freely accessible to the public. The original packaging was destroyed during repeated attempts to pillage the warehouses. The repackaged pesticides will be transported to Germany for destruction.

The remediation efforts of the Porto Romano hot spot are sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Albania as part of its environmental cooperation programme with the Government of Albania. The subproject consisting of the repackaging and destruction of chemical waste in Bishti i Pallës was internationally tendered. The tender has been won by SAVA Sonderabfallverbrennungsanlagen GmbH of Germany. SAVA executed the subproject between 28 April 2006 and 1 June 2006 .

The Porto Romano environmental hot spot is heavily contaminated due to the production of pesticides and tannery chemicals in a factory during the communist period in Albania . After the collapse of the communist system, the chemical factory in Porto Romano was abandoned. Since then, about 5,000 people have settled in and around the former chemical factory. The remediation efforts of the Porto Romano environmental hotspot aim to stop further exposure of man and nature to toxic waste.