T160 International Development and the Geosciences

Tuesday, 11 October 2011
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Room 211AB

LOCAL GEOLOGY AS GUIDE TO DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN KOSOVA

Paper number: T160-7
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM

Authors

Abstract

Each case involving the improvement of human-environmental relationships bears its own geological challenges. Ongoing water and sanitation projects in Tushile village, Kosova must function under very difficult natural circumstances. The community of about 600 residents is distributed as households along the lower and upper slopes of a stream valley for almost three kilometers. Animal and human waste contaminate household wells. Direct influents from toilets also flow into the village stream. Solid waste in the form of plastic, paper, glass, metals and other materials thickly litter the stream and virtually all streams in Kosova. Planning to provide clean, adequate water supplies and sustainable waste management in Tushile requires both a cultural understanding and the realities dictated by the steep slopes, bedrock structure and soil characteristics.

Research conducted over the summers of 2010 and 2011 indicate that most household wells can be rehabilitated for significant increases in water quality. However, the specific nature of groundwater mobility is controlled by fractures in the folded turbidite bedrock. Even after rehab, all wells are therefore not capable of supplying adequate quantity of potable water. Catchment systems and water cisterns are required in these cases. Some houses are set upon larger, flatter sections of land with relatively thick soil. These units are candidate for conventional septic system installation. Many other households are on steeper slopes, close to the stream, or without adequate soil development. Plans for these situations involve innovations, such as mound-system septics.

Engineered landfills, recycling centers and waste-water facilities are not yet established in Kosova. The solid waste problems remain to be studied further with geological knowledge. Problem solutions over the entire country should include the great potential for job creation amidst terrible unemployment.