RIVER CHERAVA WATERSHED:
STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT

Oliver Avramoski, ALLCOOP, Macedonia

The central plain of Cherava

Standing at the dam of the reservoir of Stropcka one has a good view of the relatively flat central plain of the Cherava River surrounded by the hill of Pepllashit (Kodrat e Pepllashit; 967m a.s.l.) on the north, the hills of Mhala Selimit (Kodrat e Mhala е Selimit; 949m a.s.l.) and Blaces (Kodrat e Blaces: 1011m a.s.l.) on the east and the gently rolling hills of Grabovica: Kepejt (939m a.s.l.) and Kungullit (1112m a.s.l.) on the south. The alluvial and trophic soils of the central plain and the surrounding hills provide favorable conditions for breeding many crops. The climate is also suitable – mild winters and fresh summer seasons, the average temperature ranging from 9 to 10^oC and average annual precipitation 800 to 900 mm. Before 1991 every possible patch of this fertile land had been cultivated and much of the forest had been turned into arable land.

Just below the reservoir of Stropcka the river passes through the village of Leshnice (851m a.s.l) and, heading eastwards, soon reaches the village of Cherava (Çerrave). The village of Cherava (794 m a.s.l.) with more than 2000 people is the largest settlement in the watershed. By the village of Cherava, as is the case with most of the neighboring villages, the river has to fight its way through the piles of garbage dumped in the riverbed. Most of the households lack septic tanks so the wastewater is discharged directly in the river or in ditches passing along the roads and finally draining into the Cherava River. One can often see piles of animal waste dumped near the irrigation or drainage channels or onto the river banks.

Panorama view of the reservoir near the village of Stropcka

At the office of the mayor of the Commune of Cherava, Mr. Festim Killo, the team had another break, gathering more information about the Commune of Cherava and the Albanian part of the watershed in general. Mr. Killo explained that Cherava village is the administrative center of the Commune of Cherava, covering area of 83km2, and eleven villages (Nizhavec, Pretusha, Kodras, Grabovice, Qershize, Çerrave, Alarupi, Blaces, Bratomire, Leshnice и Ljumas), six of which, with a total population of approximately 6.000 (estimates for 2000), are in the Cherava River watershed (Alarup, Bletas, Çerrave, Grabovice, Leshnice and Ljumas). Mr. Dashamir Çaushi, an agronomist, told us that the main crops in the area are fodders, covering some 600ha, and wheat with about 350ha. Vineyards (180ha) dominate the landscape on the hillsides, and corn (170ha), white beans (100ha), vegetables (50ha), rye (40ha) and potatoes (30ha) are grown elsewhere. According to Mr. Vexhi Çinari, a forestry engineer and head of the District Forest Service of Pogradec, the forests in the Albanian part of the watershed cover 2586ha out of which 1747ha is in oak, 257ha is in beech, 275ha is in chestnut and 307ha are covered with brushwoods. In 1987 there were 71.000 m3 of timber land. Forests is the watershed are managed by the forestry companies „Alarup“  and „Dardhas – Pretushe", and are administered by the Forestry Service Directorate in Pogradec. Many wild animals such the wild pig (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), the European hare (Lepus europaeus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Hectorrius graeca, Perdix perdix, Columbia oeanas etc., dwelt in the forests in the area, rendering it an important hunting resort. However, during the early transition process, and especially during the political and economic upheaval in 1997, the forestry sector in the watershed was severely damaged and some of these animals such as the wild pig and the roe deer have disappeared.

Cherava River near the village of Pishkupi, near the Albanian/Macedonian border

The Sodolit torrent

After passing the village of Cherava the river turns north and soon meets the Sodiolit torrent (Perroi i Sodolit). The Sodolit torrent originates in the area around the village of Alarup (1097m a.s.l.) by the western slopes of the Galicica Mountain - quite a distinct catchment area. The catchment area of the torrent consists mostly of pastures on the hillsides and oak forest on the gullied western slopes of Galitsica. The forest is heavily degraded by destructive grazing livestock, mostly goats, and by illegal logging for firewood and construction. Much of the water that reaches the Cherava River originates after torrential rainfalls. There are no permanent watercourses as most of the streams dry out during the summer season. A channel was constructed to collect the rain water from the torrents, and stored at a small reservoir near the village of Bratomira, outside of the natural drainage area of Cherava River.

Standing at some 1100m above the sea level, just to the north of the village of Alarup, one can have a glance at almost the entire watershed of the Cherava River on the Albanian side. On the north is the great basin of Lake Ohrid and the large plain of Korca is on the south. From the peak of Guri Kamjes on the west to the mouth near the Monastery of Saint Naum, crossing the border of two states, the Cherava River drains nearly 100 km2 . According to Sinisa Stankovic, most of the hills are sandy, originating in Tertiary Period, with the pontian sands forming a rather thick cover, especially in the western part of the watershed. These tertiary sediments cover Mesozoic chalks which crop, most notably, near the Monastery of Sain Naum on the north-east. The basin of Lake Ohrid, the Cherava River basin, and the Korca and the Prespa Lakes basin situated across the Galicica (Галичица) Mountain belong to the group of Dassaretes basins. All of these basins are of tectonic origin. In the past the Dassaretes basins were filled in with water; geological findings indicate that at water level of 920m a.s.l. all of these lakes were interconnected. 

Panorama view of the village of Pishkupi

As the river nears the Albanian/Macedonian border the valley narrows, surrounded by the hills of Kukurices (Kodrat е  Kukuriçes; 935m) and Zganjes (Korija е Zganjes; 964m) on the north and the hills of Krasta e Glaves (Kodrat e Krasta e Glaves: 884m) and Guzi on the south. During most of its way through the central plain around the village of Cherava and downstream, up to the Albanian-Macedonian border, the river is left with bare banks, eroded b vigorous currents after heavy rains. Near the village of Llumas (730m a.s.l.) sand excavation has disrupted the natural alluvium and has left many pits filled with solid waste. The village of Ljumas is the last village of the Commune of Cherava and the rest of the territory of the watershed on the Albanian side is administered by the Commune of Bucimas (Buçimas). On top of the hill of Guzi there is another mine, the coalmine of Alarup. In the late 1990’s this mine was also closed because it was unprofitable. The water of some of the streams on the hill was used to dilute the ore and then discharged into a small tailings pond. Though not operational at the moment, after heavy rains the pond spills over into the nearby streams and finally reaches the Cherava River