rivers campaign
Cleaning up the rivers of Lesbos
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Many of what should be the most beautiful rivers of Lesbos have been turned into open sewers as a result of the discharge of untreated sewage into them, for example: the Almiropotamos, the Vougaris, the Lisvorio, the Evergetoulas and the Aghia Paraskevi Stream.
These open sewers are not only offensive, dangerous to the health of both residents and visitors, and damaging to the ecology, they are in breach of several European Union Directives:
The Urban Waste Water Directive requires that the sewage should be biologically treated before discharge.
The Directive on Bathing Water Quality lays down maximum levels of faecal pollution on designated bathing beaches. These levels will be exceeded in the vicinity of the polluted rivers. The Directive is only avoided by not designating the beaches as bathing beaches even though visitors may unwittingly be tempted to bathe on them.
The Water Framework Directive requires that action be taken to put the rivers in good ecological condition. The action that is required to achieve this is, of course, to stop pouring untreated sewage into them.
What should be done?
Simple and ecologically sound biological treatment plants are needed for the sewage of Polychnitos, Lisvori, Lambou Mili, Agiassos, Vrisa, Andissa, Vatousa and a number of other villages. The absolute deadline for the completion of these plants under the Urban Waste Water Directive is 2005.Download a pdf version of our Polluted Rivers Campaign poster.
Page last updated:01 Sep 2003