Shqipëria Posted on 2025-08-13 10:49:00

What are the 11 municipalities most at risk from fires? - BB: Albania, at high levels of exposure. 900 events in 2 decades

From Elisabeta Dosku

What are the 11 municipalities most at risk from fires? - BB: Albania, at high

At a time when several municipalities in the country are facing fires and significant damage, the risk from this phenomenon is expected to increase.

In the latest report published by the World Bank on climate change, it is noted that among European countries, Albania has one of the highest levels of disaster risk and exposure to forest fires, which have affected 95 percent of Albanian municipalities in the last two decades.

According to the World Bank, from 1995 to 2015, a total of 900 forest fire events were recorded, and the value of the damages amounted to 13.4 million lek or 134 thousand euros.

The municipalities most exposed to forest fires, ranked by risk level, according to the World Bank, are Puka, Fushë Arrëzi, Mirdita, Himara, Delvina, Malësis e Madhe, Pusteci, Kukësi, Finiqi, Memaliaj.

High forest fire risk represents an average score in the municipality of 3 or higher, based on the CIMA forest fire risk grid which assigns a rating from 1 (very low risk) to 6 (very high risk).

Referring to the WB document, despite a projected annual decline in rainfall of 8.5 percent by 2050, seasonal rainfall variability is projected to increase, bringing extreme rainfall and fires (23 percent of the cropland is already under medium to high fire risk) and drought is expected to have significant impacts on agriculture and critical energy infrastructure.

The World Bank notes that the average annual temperature has increased by 1°C since the 1960s, and a changing climate could increase the average annual temperature by 2.4°C to 3.1°C by 2050. Against this backdrop, an increase in extreme heat events would impact labor productivity, mortality, and health, and would cause both fires and droughts.

In the area of population and settlements, a comprehensive communication strategy for adaptation and awareness of fire risk are key components. On the other hand, the World Bank suggests that work should be done to develop national-scale fire risk maps and the creation of a forest fire database, which is estimated to cost 1.3 million euros.

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