In the distant 1896, on November 14, the day of the feast of Saint Philip, a strong storm hit Athens and caused the death of 35 people, in the most destructive flood since the establishment of the new Greek state. The need for flood protection has set new priorities. Drainage works in Lekanopedio had of course started to be built years before, with the first systematic construction of sewers starting in 1858, when the installation of a pantororic pipeline began, initially from Stadiou Street. In the following decades, similar efforts were not very successful, with the Greek administration struggling to shield the city from disasters, but always being one step behind the real needs.
Almost 130 years later, with the population of the capital having multiplied, the land cemented, the streams silted up and the extreme weather events due to climate change intensifying, critical flood protection projects for Attica are still delayed. And often so much so that, when they are finally completed, their original design does not correspond to the new data. But projects end up – for various reasons – never being built.
The “lake” that drowned in objections
A recent example, the major flood protection projects planned four years ago by the Ministry of Infrastructure – based on a study by a civil engineer experienced in the design of hydraulic projects Dimitris Sotiropoulou – in the section of Kifiss from the Three Bridges to Attiki Odos. Among them is the construction of a “lake” to prevent major flooding events, above the point where Attiki Odos intersects with the National Highway, so that the river does not overflow. The project that was in…waiting was “unfrozen” at the end of October 2023 – after the passage of “Daniel” and the tragedy in Thessaly – but has been bogged down again due to legal entanglements. Thus, even though the required funds, approximately 50 million euros, have been committed to the NSRF 2021-2027, the Ministry of Infrastructure cannot proceed with its tender.
The project was designed to provide immediate protection to homes and businesses and better operation to already constructed flood defenses on Kifissos (from the Three Bridges and below). However, according to information, three appeals have been made to the Council of State (StE) to cancel the decision approving the project’s environmental conditions.
One of them is from the Municipality of Nea Philadelphia, together with citizens of the area. As the mayor of Nea Philadelphia – Nea Chalkidona reports in “Vima” Yannis Tombouloglou, «we have always been opposed to the enclosure of the remaining natural part of Kifissos and in particular the part that passes through the area of Apomachon». According to him, this section of the river is an important green lung for the inhabitants of the municipality, while it facilitates the drainage of water, compared to the alternative of boxing. “We do not want to witness disasters like the recent ones in Spain. We oppose mild interventions on the banks of Kifissos, which contribute to the safety of the residents, while by removing arbitrary constructions and portable materials the area is protected from pollution and illegal activities» he adds.
“Red zone” on the borders of four municipalities
The limited resistance of Kifissos in case of rapid rainfall causes a big “headache” for the government, just like those of Ilissos. The biggest problem is located in the “red” zone of Kifissos which is located on the borders of four municipalities (Piraeus, Athens, Nikaia – Renti and Moschato – Tavros). Where, according to the Urban Environment Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens, 250,000 people live, 146 schools, 45 sports facilities, 7 health units, 6 police stations, 3 fire stations and a substation of the Independent Electricity Transmission Operator (ADMIE) operate. , while there are also 35 monuments.
The problem is that the settlement of Kifissos is now final (it began 35 years ago and was gradually completed in conjunction with the creation of Kifissos Avenue in 2004) and does not accept any intervention to increase its channelization, as pointed out in the environmental impact study approved by the Ministry of Environment and Energy for the necessary works to arrange it from the Three Bridges to the Attiki Odos, i.e. in its northern part, in order to stop the flow of water in case of heavy rainfall.
The flood protection projects for Attica are often delayed so much that, when they are finally completed, their original design does not meet the new conditions.
Even today, in the closed part of Kifissos, the required works for the entry of people and machines have not been completed, with what this means in terms of control and maintenance possibilities (it was cleaned for the first time this year by the Region of Attica). In addition, in a part of it, it is not possible for surface water to flow into its bed, with the result that it overflows from Lachanagora to Piraeus Street towards the areas of Renti, Kaminion, N. Faliro, Botaniko, Kallithea and Moschato.
The same happens for the section below the Vegetable Market. Anti-flood projects that were planned have either been pending for years (e.g. in the Vegetable Market of Rentis) or, although they were built, never worked (such as the large pumping station on the borders of the Municipalities of Peristeri – Agios Anargyro and Ilio).
From the Three Bridges and above the river is expected to remain open-sectioned, but to date not all settlement projects have been settled or constructed on contributing streams, e.g. Varybompis, Pyrnas. Moreover, the Minister of Civil Protection, Mr. Vassilis Kikiliasreferring recently to Kifissos, pointed out that its northern bed is uncharted and undefined. He also underlined the need for the creation of an Expropriation Fund so that the state can take drastic action and “clear” the streams from houses and businesses, in order to reverse the danger.
Apart from Kifissos, cleaning or settlement projects in two other water receivers of Attica have been stopped due to appeals to the SC by local bodies and collectives, such as the Rafina stream and the Erasinos river which receives the rains of all the Mediterranean.
In 1932, the first assignment took place
Since the establishment of the Greek state, sewage works began to be constructed in the Basin. However, it took about a century, until 1932, when the then government commissioned the Anonymous Hellenic Sewer Construction Company, later YDREX, to prepare the final “Sewers Study of the Capital” and later the study for the Central Pipe with an outlet to the Akrokeramos Keratsiniou. Based on YDREX studies, the first settlement of Kifissos began in 1938, in the section downstream of the confluence with the Acharnon stream.
By 1940, various drainage works, rainwater networks had been built and parts of Kifissos and Ilissos had been settled. In 1959, the Central Pipeline was completed and most of the capital’s dirty water stopped being discharged into Souda Faliro. In the period 1971-1991, studies were carried out on projects for the redevelopment of Kifissos, the arrangement of parallel streams, rainwater drainage, etc. based on which various projects have been built or are still being implemented. In these, among other things, the coverage of Kifissos in its largest part was foreseen. Later, with the construction of the Attica Road or the Olympic projects, important projects and interventions were foreseen (e.g. diversion tunnel of Podoniftis, flood defenses in Faliriko Ormos and Elliniko, etc.).
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