Μake us preferred on Google Authorities are stepping up efforts to tackle pollution in the Kifisos River, with Greece’s Environment Ministry warning polluters of stricter inspections and penalties as concerns grow over the river’s ecological condition and potential risks to public health.
Petros Varelidis, secretary-general for Natural Environment and Water at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, issued a strong warning to those responsible for polluting the river following recent incidents in the areas of Renti and Metamorfosi in the Athens metropolitan area.
2026 Intime p.a. / Chalkiopoulos Nikos
Speaking to Greece’s national news agency, AMNA, Varelidis said environmental inspectors, the Attica regional government’s environmental directorate and, where necessary, the Hellenic Police would continue carrying out regular and unannounced inspections.
“Where violations are identified, the detailed institutional framework is applied, including the methodology for calculating the administrative fine, which is proportional to the company’s turnover,” Varelidis said.
He said the system is intended to ensure transparency and fairness in both administrative and criminal sanctions.
Professor warns of documented ecological collapse
Dimosthenis Sarigiannis, professor of Environmental Engineering at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and director and chairman of the board of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, said the ecological deterioration of the Kifisos is documented.
“The two most serious exposure pathways remain unmeasured — and this determines the priorities,” Sarigiannis said.
© 2026 Intime p.a. / Chalkiopoulos Nikos
He said the river’s biological quality has been classified as “poor” since 2020, particularly along the section between Kokkino Milos and Kymi Avenue, where dense urban development meets industrial activity.
The mountainous sections upstream and the river’s mouth are in better condition, he said.
“It is not simply being polluted; it has lost its biological community along specific stretches,” Sarigiannis said.
Risks to groundwater and nearby residents
Asked about the potential dangers posed by the wastewater, Sarigiannis said that the measured public health concern is microbial contamination, while two more serious risks remain unmeasured.
The first concerns the groundwater aquifer. If pollution from the river reaches the groundwater, he said, safety margins for arsenic and lead fall to 2.7 and 3.4, respectively, which he described as alarm levels.
“No one has drilled a well,” he said.
Police inspection by the Environmental Protection Department led to the detection of a liquid waste leak from company facilities, with the waste flowing into the Kifisos River. INTIME NEWS
The second concerns people living close to the open river channel.
Approximately 104,000 residents live within 200 meters of an open channel carrying fecal contamination and breathe its aerosols, Sarigiannis said. No air-quality measurements have been conducted, he added.
Measures proposed to limit exposure
Sarigiannis said the first steps should focus on relatively inexpensive measures.
These include providing gloves, boots and hygiene protocols for 450 workers, as well as fencing open streams located next to schools.
He also called for storm-drain inlets at heavy-vehicle parking areas to be sealed and for continuous pH sensors to be installed at five locations.
An acidic discharge, he said, can leave a detectable signal within seconds that seasonal sampling may fail to capture.
2026 Intime p.a. / Chalkiopoulos Nikos
Further measures should include pathogen testing at different concentrations, groundwater drilling and air sampling, he said.
Sarigiannis also called for testing for pharmaceutical residues and antibiotic-resistance genes, saying part of the pollution load came from hospitals.
Calls for stronger penalties
The final and most difficult measure, according to Sarigiannis, is the introduction of fines that exceed the cost of legally disposing of waste.
“As long as illegality pays, tanker trucks will find a drain,” he said.
The authorities’ inspections and enforcement efforts are continuing as concerns remain over pollution in the Kifisos and its potential impact on the environment and people living near the river.
