A new pollution incident on the Kifisos River has added to a series of cases that have mobilized authorities in recent days. This time, an inspection at a cement plant uncovered a leak of liquid waste from a tank, with the wastewater flowing through a stream toward the riverbed.
A 55-year-old man was arrested in connection with the case. He is reportedly responsible for ensuring that the company’s facilities comply with environmental operating requirements.
Samples of the liquid were collected and will undergo laboratory testing to determine their exact composition. A visual examination of the wastewater found that it had an alkaline reaction, leading authorities to suspect that it could be hazardous industrial chemical waste.
The investigation at the plant is continuing to determine whether additional quantities of chemical waste are present or whether there are other facilities or systems through which waste is discharged into the Kifisos.
The incident comes less than a week after a previous pollution case at Kifisos river was uncovered at a gas station in Aigaleo, a western suburb of Athens. According to authorities’ findings at the time, tanker trucks transported hazardous industrial waste to the gas station, from where it was discharged into the river through a pipeline.
The successive cases have once again brought attention to the protection of the Kifisos and the accumulation of waste, construction debris and other materials in its riverbed.
2026 Intime p.a. / Chalkiopoulos Nikos
The issue becomes particularly significant during periods of heavy rainfall, when the river’s water level rises considerably. The accumulation of garbage, construction debris and other materials in the riverbed can further worsen conditions during severe weather, while also highlighting longstanding interventions and shortcomings in flood protection along the Kifisos.
