World Bank on CARE4BlueSea project bringing wastewater plants to Albania - EXCLUSIVE

CE Report presents an exclusive interview with Maja Murisic, Senior Environmental Specialist at the World Bank and Task Team Leader for the Care4BlueSea project, discussing the project's objectives, implementation strategy, and its expected impact on Albania’s coastal and riverine ecosystems.

Could you provide a detailed timeline for the implementation of the CARE4BlueSea project - when will construction start, and when are the wastewater treatment plants expected to become operational?

The CARE4BlueSea project is currently at the stage of procuring contracts for feasibility studies, environmental and social impact assessments, designs, and tendering documents. The people of Albania should start benefitting from modern wastewater plants by the closing date of the project, which is March 29, 2030.

What criteria were used to select the four locations for new wastewater and sludge treatment plants, and which municipalities will benefit first?

The project will help reduce pollution flowing from the land into rivers, and the sea in selected areas of the South-West Coastal Belt of Albania. The Government of Albania and the World Bank jointly identified and designed the activities, focusing on two priorities: improving and integrating municipal waste management to advance a more circular economy in the Vlora South-Gjirokaster Waste Zone and developing infrastructure and reducing water pollution, for example, untreated sewage, in the Vjosa River Basin.

How will the expansion of municipal waste collection (from 75 % to 90 %) be achieved, and what measures are planned to ensure coverage in more remote or underserved areas?

The project will help municipalities expand waste collection by financing essential equipment upfront, such as containers and collection vehicles. The Environmental Performance-Based Investments (EPBI) scheme, under the project incentives the expansion of coverage by rewarding municipalities for increasing the share of households covered by municipal waste services. To ensure the expansion is operationally and financially sustainable, another EPBI indicator tracks growth in municipal revenue from waste, such as service fees and sales of recyclables.

What mechanisms are in place to monitor and evaluate the project’s impact on water quality, plastic pollution, and public health over time?

The Project is guided by an approved Results Framework with specific indicators to track progress on water quality, plastic pollution, and related public health outcomes. These indicators—defined in the project documents and publicly available on the World Bank website—are the basis for regular monitoring and evaluation. The Government reports to the Bank twice a year, and the Bank conducts periodic supervision missions to verify data and assess implementation on the ground. In addition, the World Bank prepares the Implementation Status and Results Report at least twice annually, which is also published on the project’s public webpage.

Photo: LinkedIn

This interview was prepared by Julian Müller