Volos, a city located 300 kilometers north of Athens and capital of the peripheral unit of Magnesia, is the gateway to the Pelion peninsula, one of the most spectacular natural wonders of Greece, where crystal-clear beaches are located a short distance from ski slopes that run through mountains that look like the Pyrenees. But Volos is also the most polluted city in Greece due to a cement plant located on the outskirts, which integrates a waste incinerator to generate the energy needed to manufacture cement. Because of this, respiratory diseases in this region are between 25% and 55% more frequent than in other areas of the country.
In addition to the air, there is also a strong controversy in the Magnesia region over the quality of water. Neighbourhood organisations accuse the local administration of neglecting the maintenance of the supply network with the ultimate aim of undertaking the privatisation of water from the springs on the impressive mountain that rises from the sea, when the deterioration becomes irreversible.
As if this were not enough, Volos was the city most affected by the devastating floods caused by the Dana Daniel in September 2023. And, probably related to the effects of this, for days now, the port of Volos has been covered by millions of dead fish. The number of lifeless specimens floating in the sea has forced the authorities to prohibit swimming on many beaches when the tourist season has not yet ended.
The Department of Public Health and Social Assistance of the Region of Thessaly recommends avoiding swimming at the following beaches: Sutrali Agrias, Plakes, Anavros, Xenia, Pefkakia-Volos municipal coast (Alykon beach), Alykes, Amfanon and Amaryllis. The Chamber of Commerce of Magnesia has defined the discovery of the fish as an “unprecedented ecological and economic disaster”.
Speaking to EFE, Dimitris Klaudatos, a professor at the Department of Aquatic Environment at the University of Thessaly, said that the cause of the fish deaths was the floods that the region suffered last year. According to him, the rains caused Lake Karla to overflow and the water covered some 20,000 hectares of crops around it. “Due to the diversion of river channels or the breaking of reservoirs, many freshwater fish from the lake entered these flooded areas,” Klaudatos explained.
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To reduce the water, the regional government of Thessaly opened the gate of the dam on the Xiria stream, through which the fish were dragged from the flooded areas into the sea. The animals died from lack of oxygen or from contact with salt water, as they are freshwater species. Klaudatos detected some dead fish in May, but when the flooded areas, which were their new habitat, receded, the volume of fish washed into the sea increased.
The governor of the Thessaly region, Dimitris Kuretas, has defended his actions by arguing that the only solution last year to prevent further flooding was to open the floodgate, as extreme rainfall had destroyed a pumping station and the irrigation ditches could not perform their function.
The mayor of Volos, Ajileas Beas, is one of the most controversial figures in Greek politics. As the president of the city’s football club, which he combines with his position as mayor, he has been the subject of several open cases for racist behaviour. As a mayor, he is frequently the subject of outbursts, sexist comments regarding rival policies and accusations of authoritarianism.
Despite this, he has maintained his absolute majority in each election. Beas has not missed the opportunity to analyse the situation in his characteristic style. He has described Kuretas’s statements as “a farce” and has described him as “this caricature who pretends to be the regional governor of Thessaly”. He believes that Kuretas is the only person responsible for the disaster for having ordered the opening of the dam.
Nets to catch dead fish
On Friday, the authorities ordered the installation of a second net in the Xiria River. The function of the two nets is to contain the dead fish and concentrate them in an area of 200 meters so that they do not occupy the entire port as in previous days.
Three large excavators are currently operating at the site, but local environmental organisations believe that they are not enough and that without the use of appropriate vessels it will not be possible to clean up the area before the damage is even greater. In 24 hours, more than 57 tonnes of dead fish have been removed from the sea, according to statements made by the local government to the News247 portal.
The Supreme Court prosecutor has announced the opening of an investigation to determine whether an environmental crime has been committed, but, at least for the moment, has not named anyone as an investigated party. Workers continue to remove dead fish while, according to witnesses, the stench of decomposition caused by high temperatures spreads from the sea to several kilometres inland.
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