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The recent downpours in Athens, which caused the closure of a major thoroughfare, Poseidonos Avenue, and sent sewage spilling out into the streets of the affluent southern coastal suburbs, serve as a poignant metaphor. This area is, after all, the much-touted \u201cAthenian Riviera,\u201d with so many promises of lucrative investments and so many luxurious apartments and expensive buildings \u2013 many of which are illegally connected to public utilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the Athens Water and Sewerage Company (EYDAP) there are an estimated 7,000 properties in the area that have been hooked up to the public sewerage network without a proper license. \u201cThe problem becomes excessively aggravated during heavy downpours,\u201d the company notes. In this recent instance, water flooded the overburdened sewerage pipes, pushing them beyond capacity and causing one of the covers to pop off.<\/p>\n
The illegal connections began in the decade between 1970 and 1980 when the said buildings were constructed, we learned from the environment minister. It\u2019s a case of the usual sad tale of rampant profiteering, of construction without infrastructure. Who can be blamed for this situation? It\u2019s the usual tangle, with the usual result: Blame is passed on and on and on, in perpetuity, until no one cares to figure out the truth anymore. The price, in this particular case, is residents having to put up with a river of sewage.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a poignant scene on a symbolic level too, a reminder that what glitters isn\u2019t always gold; it\u2019s what\u2019s inside that counts. Can looks be deceiving? Less so than in the past, but an attractive veneer is still a very handy solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The project will eventually get done \u2013 because who wants to get entangled in complex and costly works and negotiations that drain both time and money? Yet, simultaneously with its delivery, there is an expiration date as well. It is not visible at first. During an unusual downpour, what was previously known only to those directly involved surfaces, bound by an informal, survival-driven agreement of silence. Contributing factors include the wear and tear of time, the excusable or inexcusable neglect of responsible parties, and the inadequacy of networks due to population growth.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, we should take comfort in the fact that a study is under way for a plan to build a new pipeline in the area that will relieve some of the pressure from the existing system. Until then, residents just need to hold their noses when it rains.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n