Optimization of Dam Safety and Resilience of Irrigation Systems in the Context of Climate Change

pipeline

The project aims to support the GoA in conducting pre-feasibility studies of more than 400 existing dams. The overall goal is to reveal and address the climate risk to water management and agriculture and dilapidated water infrastructure with a focus on increasing the water storage capacity of reservoirs for adaptation to a changing climate. Specifically, the project intends to prepare grounds towards increasing the safety and water availability of dams to irrigate an area of 180,000 ha of agricultural land mostlylocated in the western–coastal part of Albania from Shkodra to Vlora, enabling 200,000 farms to increase yields and farmincome.The rehabilitation, modernization of dams, and improvements of dam safety will need to include structural and non-structural measures, hydrological assessment, structural strengthening of dams and improvement of the water storage in the reservoirs, sediment management, modernization of control and monitoring, and other measures that would improve the safety and operation of the dams. Increasing the dam’s safety would provide socio-economic and environmental benefits in Albania.