A recent report by him has caused a stir adellinfm.blogspot.com, according to which, the long-standing situation with the sewage that «pollutes» an entire area, from the river to the bay of Agios Eleftherios, «raised» an entire cannabis plantation.
The factory with the irrigation system for the drainage ditch
In essence, cannabis growers (and traffickers) have taken advantage of a situation that has been at a standstill for 30 years, using the ditch that carries the wastewater as an irrigation system for the saplings.
All that glitters is gold
In that remote area, a factory was set up that reeked—beyond the stench of sewage—of illicit money. Over time, the area became shrouded in a noxious haze, the result of the discharge of urban sewage—which acted as a kind of natural fertilizer. A «unique ecosystem» that allowed the landscape’s vegetation to flourish and provided the perfect cover for a business that, over time, grew to enormous proportions.
I didn't see, I didn't hear, I didn't speak—I just smelled
The issue of sewage spreading (and polluting) unchecked across the island is nothing new. Its «business operations,» however, in this specific case, constitute an innovation. It is illegal and, therefore, unacceptable. Just as the uncontrolled dumping of waste into the natural environment should have been unacceptable from the outset. Nevertheless, even though the problem has been known for decades, it does not seem to prompt a response from the authorities. Shouldn’t the municipality and other local authorities take action to ensure that these «local nuisances» (and poorly constructed ones) are finally resolved, rather than being haphazardly swept under the rug of the natural landscape?; Shouldn't the sewer systems, at some point… mature? Come of age?;
The wastewater master plan offers hope, but…
In any case, it appears that the stagnant waters in the Kythira «urban wastewater» case are finally beginning to stir, with the activation of the Wastewater Management Master Plan from the municipality's perspective. The question, however, remains as to when this plan will be put into practice, so that the island’s image will cease to be tarnished (both literally and figuratively) and urban wastewater will cease to be an endemic species of the «Kythirian flora»!
