Yet Another Green Page

Hot Spot 1 - Acheloos River

Acheloos River springs below the town of Metsovo, on Pindus Mountain Range. It crosses a distance of 220 km and it meets the sea in a few kilometers distance from the town of Messolonghi, opposite from the island of Cefalonia, where it forms an extensive estuary.

The main construction proposed under the Acheloos Diversion Project include:

hydroelectric power dam (135m high), reservoir (228 million m3 water volume) and plant (384 million kwh/year) in Mesochora,
hydroelectric power dam (150m high), reservoir(502 million m3 water volume) and plant (154 million kwh/year), in Sykia
diversion tunnel (18,5 km) and hydroelectric power plant (486 million kwh/year) in Pefkofyto,
hydroelectric power dam (135m high), reservoir (530 million m3 water volume) and plant (578 million kwh/year) in Mouraki,
dam (90m high and reservoir (47 million m3 water volume in Pyli.

The whole project is expected to increase the irrigated area of Thessaly with 230.000 more.

However, the whole project is expected to be economically deficient, socially disturbing (disappearing whole villages and cultural monuments) and ecologically degrading (extinction of forests and many forest species, impacts on the Rancas wetland of Messolonghi). The intensification of agriculture in Thessaly will increase the rate of agricultural runoffs reaching surface and underground waters, as well as the salt concertration and soil erosion.

For these reasons, four Greek NGO's have started a campaign against the diversion project:

Hellenic Ornithological Society
Greek Society for the Protection of Nature
Greek Society for the protection of Natural Environment and Cultural Heritage
WWF - Greece

Hot Spot 2 - Nestos River

Four hydroelectric power dams are under construction on Nestos River, by the Greek Public Company of Electricity. The waters of the artificial lakes (reservoirs) that will be formed are planned to be used additionally for irrigation of questionably profitable cultivations, since the European agricultural policies have been drastically changed.

The impacts from the constructions, are expected to be:

alteration of the area's morphology. The reservoirs' water surface fluctuations are expected to exceed 60 meters yearly, preventing vegetation from colonising the banks,
increase of the area's seismic activity,
reservoirs' waters rich in nutrients and inorganic materials,
sediment retention by the dams, with subsequent alteration of sedimentation processes at the delta, which is a Ramsar wetland. Sea water invasion upwards to the delta's waters and subsequent vegetation changes. Undesirable changes are expected to the populations of bird species,
forest areas inundation and wildlife routes cutoff. Special troubles will be caused to the populations of brown bear (Ursus arctos) and wild boar (Sus scrofa).
upland cultivations inundation and subsequent decline of uplant villages,

Greek NGOs like the Hellenic Ornithological Society, WWF-Greece, the Greek Society for the Protection of Nature and the magazine "Ecotopia" are campaigning against the whole scheme, since 1992.

Hot Spot 3 - Lake Koronia

Lakes Koronia and Volvi are situated close together just some kilometers above the city of Thessaloniki and are comprising one of the eleven Greek wetlands which have been registered to the list of the Ratmsar Convention. Lake Koronia is experiencing strong pressures from irrigation and industrial pollution, which is not the case for lake Volvi. In the early autumn mounths of 1995, pollution and water surface drop exceeded Koronia's capacity to support living organisms and serious incidents of fish and bird kills were noticed. Since then, the lake is dead with no sign of living fish or bird. The mean depth is no more than one meter, while alcalinity measures about 10 pH and electric conductivity is exceeding six times the mean value of freshwater lakes. These semi-saline waters are not suitable for irrigation but the local authorities have not managed to control the farmers and persuade them not to keep on pumping water from the lake's body. On the same time, industrial effluents and urban sewage are keep on being disposed untreated at nearby torrents or immediately at the lake itself. The public services have been proved to be unable (or should we say unwilling?) for law enforcement.

The Greek Biotope/Wetland Centre has studied the area through a program included to the European initiative named MedWet and proposed some measures which demand in fact the change of the whole set of activities excercised at the area, towards a more sustainable way of development.

Hot Spot 4 - Island Of Zakynthos

The gulf of Laganas at the southern part of Zakynthos (the southernmost island of the lonian Sea, Western Greece) is the most important egg-laying site for the loggerhead sea turtles, in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately enough, it is important for the tourist industry, too. Some villagers want no barriers to their visions for tourist development, while the Society for the Protection of Sea Turtles is struggling since 1983 to safeguard the place. The designation of the area as the second Greek Marine Park is long expected but never achieved due to the on going reactions of local interests. in the autumn of 1995, a bomb explode at the office of the environmental group of the island, scearing to death 12 adults and 3 kids who were gathered at that moment there, fortunately leaving no one injured. Both Greenpeace and WWF is supporting the efforts for protection, the latter trying to purchase a large area of real estate. All the Greek environmental NGOs are stressing the fact that "humans and turtles can live together" after all.

If you want any additional information on any issue
mentioned above, please send an e-mail
to the following addresses:
blionis@olymp.ccf.auth.gr or
cyberdome@magnet.gr
Last Update: [June 25th 1996]

Back to Home Page