One of Europe's last wild rivers is in danger of being tamed

SUMMARY

Albania's government has set in motion plans to dam the Vjosa and its tributaries to generate much-needed electricity for one of Europe's poorest countries, with the intent to build eight dams along the main river. Some tout hydropower as a reliable, cheap and renewable energy source that helps curb dependence on planet-warming fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. But some critics say the benefits of hydropower are overstated and is outweighed by the harm dams can do.

By APOct 18, 2019 1:37:37 PM IST (Updated)

Sheep are pastured near the shore of the Vjosa River in Ane Vjosa, Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

An abandoned bulldozer sits on the banks of the Vjosa River at the construction site of the Kalivac dam in Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

An old bridge spans the Vjosa River near the border with Greece, in Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Jorgji Ilia, 71, stands on the shore of the Vjosa River after collecting water from a small spring in the village of Kanikol, Albania. "There is nothing else better than the river," the retired schoolteacher says. "The Vjosa gives beauty to our village." (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

People bathe in a thermal spring on the banks of the Langarica River, a tributary to the Vjosa near Permet, Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Sebastian Bäumler, 41, a German filmmaker kayaking the length of the Vjosa River, is illuminated by a bonfire as he sits next to his kayak on its bank in Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Jurgen Steinbauer, Benedikt Baumler and Sebastian Baumler, German tourists who are kayaking the length of the Vjosa River, cook a meal as they sit next to a bonfire on the riverbank in Albania. After seeing the Kalivac dam construction site, Benedikt Baeumler said, "It was really unbelievable what they did to nature, removing entire parts of the mountain. I hope this dam is never built." (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

An aerial photo shows the construction site of the Kalivac dam on the banks of the Vjosa River in Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

The sunsets behind the Vjosa River near Tepelene, Albania. Rivers are a crucial part of the global water cycle. They act like nature's arteries, carrying energy and nutrients across vast landscapes, providing water for drinking, food production and industry. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Shyqyri Seiti, pulls his fishing net from the Vjosa River near Ane Vjose, Albania. The 65-year-old boatman has been transporting locals, goods and livestock across the river for about a quarter-century. The construction of the Kalivac dam would spell disaster for him. Many of the fields and some of the houses in his nearby village of Ane Vjose would be lost. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Residents sit on the shore of the Vjosa River next to a spring in the Kelcyre Gorge, Albania. Those who live along the riverbank or rely on the waterway for their livelihood fear dams could kill the Vjosa as they know it. Its fragile ecosystem will be irreversibly altered, and many residents will lose their land and homes. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

The photo shows the Langarica hydropower plant, on a tributary to the Vjosa River near Permet, Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A man crosses a bridge over the Langarica River, a tributary to the Vjosa near the city of Permet, Albania. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)