In the village of Lisna Bore in Štodra, Montenegro, the memory of the 2010 floods lingers. When the rain came, the Drin River had risen to its highest level in over a century, spilling into homes, roads, and fields. Across the Drin River Basin, this was the case. For days, families were cut off from schools, medical centers, and each other. “[Property and] everything was under water for three to four months. In winter periods when rains and storms begin, we in this area live in fear,” said Osmanović Heldin, a farmer and project beneficiary in Montenegro.
Heldin’s experience echoes across the Western Balkans, a region shaped by its rivers and too often threatened by their unpredictability. Flooding in the region brings with it not only economic damage and infrastructure loss, but deep disruption to daily life. Schools close, patients are stranded from hospitals, and entire harvests can be wiped out in a single storm. In places like the Shkodër region of Albania, floods have plagued communities for over 40 years, steadily worsening with climate change. In the years since the devastating floods of 2010, Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro have come together to tackle one of their greatest shared challenges: managing transboundary flood risks in the Drin River Basin.
A Shared Problem, A Shared Solution
Adaptation Fund and UNDP staff examine a map of the Bojana/Buna River embankment. (Photo by AF)
Thanks to a broad coalition of local leadership and international support, adaptation methods are being introduced to critical communities along the Drin River Basin. Funding from the Adaptation Fund and support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have been instrumental in implementing the USD$ 10 million regional project and building resilience through a series of interventions.
At the heart of these efforts is the Drin Core Group, a foundational regional group developed to bring together governments and stakeholders across the basin to share information, develop strategies, and plan for a more resilient future. Through investments in geographic information system (GIS) modeling, hydro-meteorological monitoring, and real-time data exchange, the region is transitioning from reactive emergency response to proactive risk management.
“[Thanks to investments in weather stations] we were able to develop hazard maps and took measurements for each of the seven critical areas in the region.”
– Saed Sadiku, Director of Drin River Basin Administration Office, Albania
Montenegro: Holding the Line
Local resident and project stakeholder, Osmanović Heldin, discusses the effects of extreme flooding on his village in Montenegro. (Photo by AF)
Along the Bojana/Buna River, which borders Montenegro and Albania, construction has begun on a 15-kilometer embankment to protect farmland and villages in Montenegro. Here, residents depend heavily on their agricultural fields and livestock, both of which are vulnerable to flooding—a risk exacerbated by riverbank erosion. Currently, the project supported the reconstruction of a 230-meter critical stretch of the embankment, which helps protect agriculture and livestock.
“The residents of Štodra who fight daily and work in agriculture will now find it easier to simply make a living from their fields and livestock,” said Peka Dono of the Ulcinj Protection and Rescue Service in Montenegro.
Since signing a bilateral water management treaty in 2018, Montenegro and Albania have developed joint emergency preparedness plans, coordinating across sectors like search and rescue, fire services, and disaster response.
“We as rescue services are grateful for the investment because we will be able to help in the case of a natural disaster such as a flood. We will be able to help more.”
– Peka Dono, Protection and Rescue Service, Ulcinj, Montenegro
Albania: From Source to Sea
In Albania, where the KK5 Channel close to the Montenegro border snakes through farmland and villages in Shkodër, a new drainage system would transform the future of 70 hectares of flood-prone land. This area, home to generations of farmers, has long suffered the consequences of climate-driven flooding, which is worsened by outdated infrastructure and unmanaged waste.
“We got involved as soon as we received the [project] notice… We gave our suggestions for cleaning the drainage system on both sides of the canals.”
– Gëzim Metalaj, Village Head, Mushan, Albania
Drin River Basin director, Saed Sadiku, shows AF team members one of the weather stations used for tracking flood risk in Albania. (Photo by AF)
To identify key areas for interventions, the project carried out a flood risk analysis using updated data from hydro-meteorological stations, alongside surveys with surrounding villages to capture their experiences with flooding.
“Developing the flood risk analysis was done step by step—communicating with local people, governments, and institutions. It is done step by step from bottom to top,” said Saed Sadiku, Director of Drin River Basin Administration Office in Albania.
Weather stations across the country measure conditions every 4–5 hours. Hydropower plants and local authorities disseminate alerts through social media. And in 2020, Albania began enacting meaningful reforms to strengthen disaster risk reduction at both the local and regional levels.
North Macedonia: Rerouting Risk
In North Macedonia, efforts have focused on transforming the landscape itself. In 1962, a major intervention redirected the Sateska River into Lake Ohrid. Over time, this diversion has caused more harm than good, contributing to sediment pollution and exacerbated flooding. To address these issues, the project drained and cleaned the diverted section of the river and constructed a water diversion facility along with a sedimentation tank. These measures aimed to reduce sediment buildup, which worsens flooding and damages the surrounding ecosystem.
“In the case of high waters and flood waves, part of the Sateska River can be redirected into the Drim River.”
– Anita Kodzoman, Head of Environment Unit, UNDP North Macedonia
Sedimentation tank and water redistribution center along the Sateska River in North Macedonia (Photo by AF)
Along with structural interventions, North Macedonia’s Crisis Management Center plays a vital role in the country’s disaster risk management plan, sharing daily updates from weather stations with emergency services and the public to ensure flow of information—often through Facebook and local news outlets.
Moving Forward: A Model of Resilience
Coordination wasn’t easy. Years of fragmented data, differing priorities, and political tensions slowed early progress. But today, the Western Balkans are emerging as a model of transboundary climate adaptation. Through basin-wide hydro-modeling, information sharing, and policy alignment, the region is building resilience from the ground up.
“Climate change does not see national borders. Watersheds and rivers connect us and so must our responses.”
– Martina Dorigo, Portfolio Management Coordinator, Adaptation Fund
As the climate crisis intensifies, the story of the Drin River Basin shows what’s possible when neighbors work together—not just to manage disasters, but to reimagine a safer, more sustainable future.
Visit our Flickr album to see more photos showcasing the Western Balkans flood risk management efforts.
Additional Story: How the Western Balkans is Tackling Flood Risk – UNDP