The Long-term Play on Macedonia is all about water

I was having trouble understanding why neighbours of Macedonia gave it no peace during the 20th century. Why was such a pretty little country so friendless? Today, four of our group toured Ohrid Lake under the care of our guide, Mr Zoran Zafir. His primary job is with the Macedonian's Dept of Biological Research with a focus on Ohrid Lake... what he doesn't know about the lake is not worth knowing! Like most people in Macedonia he works two jobs... for him, it's running a tour boat on the lake.

"Its all about water ", said Zoran. Macedonia owns most of the mountain tops that feed the major rivers of the Balkans. At some future time, access to water could be of strategic importance. Zoran's real excitement came when talking of the potential of Ohrid Lake. Here are some facts about the lake (courtesy of Zoran) ...

80 percent of the water entering the Lake comes from springs at the bottom of the lake.

This spring water is germ free.

The volume of this water is staggering... enough to support a population of 20 million people.

The Lake has an altitude of 750 meters... gravity feed (no pumping power needed) to reach all the major cities of the Balkans... indeed hydro-electricity could be generated as part of the distribution.

The fresh water in the Lake exceeds 6 cubic kilometres... a gigantic volume.

Macedonia 'owns' 70 percent of the Lake... and Albania owns the balance... any future use of the Lake will need to be a joint venture between the two nations.

There are no immediate plans to develop the water business... but other Balkan nations are making projections regarding the adequacy of existing sources... and acknowledge problems will arise in a couple of decades.

The spring water at the bottom of the Lake emerges at a constant temperature of 11 degrees (centigrade)... and keeps the minimum temperature of the Lake above 4 degrees... resulting in the lake never freezing... not even in the worst of the ice ages. Consequently, sediments continued to be deposited in the Lake during the ice ages. Lake sediments are a valuable source of scientific data related to climate change and evolution. Zoran pointed out a rig being worked by EU countries who are drilling the sediments of Ohrid Lake.

The Lake has been overfished and endangered the Ohrid Trout... Zoran's 'day job' is breeding 2 million Ohrid Trout hatchings each year for release into the Lake. The fish take seven years to reach maturity. He expects it will take 20 years for the program to take the fish off the endangered species list... much of Zoran's disappointment, you can still order Ohrid Trout in the local restaurants.

Zoran took us to Bones Bay, to show us archaeological work replicating the civilisation of mystery people who lived in the period from C1200BC to C700BC (late bronze age) only 35 klms from Ohrid township. These people built a large town on stilts over the Lake... with a drawbridge that was retracted whenever the city was attacked by wild animals or other people. A small part of the ancient town is being replicated... but you are able to take a guided scuba diving excursion and examine the bottom of the bay.

If you are interested in rocks and pots and lakes, and you are passing by Ohrid, you may wish to call on Zoran and learn some facts you will find in no other place. He places unusual faith in the medicinal qualities of Raki (double fermented wine product) and you will be pressured to share his faith at the start of his boat excursion. He is a great entertainer... and kept us laughing for 5 hours... here is an instance where embarrassment was turned into ten minutes of uncontrolled laughter...

Joye had a bag of peanuts (coated with a sesame seeds toffee paste) and offered some around. Zoran and the suave looking Captain declined... Joye thought they were just being polite so pressed the invitation... both took one. Zoran has an extroverted nature and with great drama showed how he had to eat peanuts when he is missing most of his top teeth. He's a born comedian... everyone had a good laugh. Joye expressed her regrets for offering the troublesome treat... and fetched a box of biscuits from her bag to offer in its place. Zoran was delighted and took three biscuits. When the Captain was offered the biscuits, he said nothing." What is your problem ", Zoran said to the Captain," If you don't want a biscuit, just say so." The Captain spat out the peanut and said, "It's all right for you to speak... you have one tooth to eat the peanut... I have none. I was waiting for the peanut to dissolve!" Zoran thought this was hilarious. He spent the next ten minutes joking with the suave looking Captain about his immaculate appearance that was covering a body that was in ruin. "What other parts of you are missing or not working?" asked Zoran. At the end of the boat trip, I was convinced we Australians do not laugh enough.

By the way, to contact Zoran and get a ride in his boat, contact him on:

zoran_zafir@hotmail.com