CONTROVERSY OVER PROGRESS MADE TO CLEAN UP ASOPOS RIVER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 001168

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

State also for OES/ENV

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV EAGR SOCI TBIO EIND GR

SUBJECT: CONTROVERSY OVER PROGRESS MADE TO CLEAN UP ASOPOS RIVER
POLLUTION

REF: 07 ATHENS 2015


1. (SBU) Summary: In September 2007, Post received over four
thousand emails in a 24-hour period from concerned American citizens
in reference to the presence of hexavalent chromium in the Asopos
River near Athens. The emails were in response to a posting by Erin
Brockovich on her website. Brockovich was mobilized by a cry for
help from the Mayor of a local town that is dependent on the Greek
river for its drinking water. The Ministry of Environment, Town
Planning and Public Works responded to the public outcry and
a flurry of media reports by implementing measures to clean up
the river and regulate and punish the polluting industries.
One year later, there are mixed reactions to the Greek
government's policies and actions by the public, NGOs, and local
officials. End Summary.

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Initial Response to Asopos River Outcry in 2007
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2. (SBU) The Asopos River lies approximately 40 kilometers north of
Athens, and for roughly thirty years, it has served as a site for
both drinking water and industrial waste disposal. For years,
individuals from the region crusaded with local authorities for the
GoG to stop more than 2,500 companies from dumping industrial waste
into the Asopos River. Studies have shown that the number of deaths
from cancer in the region increased to 32 percent in 2007 from 6
percent in 1989. In August 2007, the mayor of Oinofyta reached out
to Erin Brockovich to help raise the public's awareness of the fact
that 400,000 times the permissible amount of hexavalent chromium was
present in the Asopos River as a result of industrial waste dumping.
(Comment: Hexavalent chromium is an anticorrosive used in stainless
steel, paint, ink and plastics. It is on the list of EU restricted
substances and considered a carcinogen by the World Health
Organization. It is the same substance highlighted in the film
"Erin Brockovich." End Comment.) Brockovich responded by posting
demands for clean-up on her website, and on that of Friends of the
Earth, attracting the attention of thousands. The surge of
international and media attention which followed prompted the GoG to
begin taking immediate steps to investigate the existence of
dangerous chemicals in the drinking water.


3. (U) In the fall, Secretary General Evangelos Baltas, of the
Ministry of Environment, stated that as of September 27, 2007,
intensive work to clean the area had commenced, and the government
was taking steps to stop further dumping and punish those who had
broken the law (reftel). According to Baltas, at least seven
Ministry inspectors would remain on location, day and night, until
the investigation was completed. Shortly thereafter, Environment,
Town Planning and Public Works Minister George Souflias announced
the following measures to deal with the industrial pollution: the
construction of a central pipeline equipped with a special system
for checking waste toxicity, the sealing off of illegal pipelines,
daily waste monitoring by environment ministry services, tougher
laws for dumping accompanied by fines, harsher punishments for
non-compliance, and air pollution monitoring stations. In the short
term, the areas that depended on the contaminated Asopos for
drinking water were connected instead to the Athen's water supply.
A plan was established to construct a new pipeline for the town of
Oinofyta to eventually obtain water from the Mornos Reservoir, which
provides water to the Athens metropolitan and is one of the largest
earthen dams in Europe. Souflias' efforts were critical, as he
stressed that despite the fact that jurisdiction of the Asopos River
fell under the realm of local authorities, including prefectures and
municipalities, the discovery of hexavalent chromium made the issue
a concern and responsibility of national importance.

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Mixed Reactions to Ministry Response
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4. (U) On December 11, 2007, Brockovich reported on her website that
no positive developments on the Asopos River occurred, despite the
promises and seeming enthusiasm of the government.
(http://www.uslaw.com/library/Personal_Injury _Law/
Bad_News_Oinofyta.php?item=25395). In March 2008, Greek media
reported that industrial dumping continued to contaminate water,
and that hexavalent chromium was still present in the water.
Furthermore,the Greek media noted that citizens in Oinofyta were
not connected to local water mains. While local activists at
the time complained that the government had done nothing,
the Mayor of Oinofyta described a brighter picture, highlighting
construction of a water purification plant, drinking water
coming from the nearby Mornos dam and decreased levels of
hexavalent chromium. Local press indicated that forty to fifty
industries were fined, but that the fines were too small to
discourage future dumping as they represent only2.39

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percent of annual profits.


5. (U) While the issue has drawn little attention in recent months,
a prominent Greek newspaper returned attention to the water
pollution. In a story on July 31, the paper asserted that the GoG
had made little to no progress on cleaning the Asopos River in the
nine months following its declaration of measures to fight
pollution. In the article, the mayor of Oropo, which is farther
from the Asopos river than Oinofyta, claimed that industries were
polluting even more following the government's announcement of
measures,and that the presence of hexavalent chromium in the river
had increased by three times. He noted that levels of hexavalent
chromium increased in Oinofyta as well. The article highlighted and
confronted every GoG measure on the issue, giving it bad marks on
all counts.


6. (SBU) Secretary General of the Environment Baltas immediately
published a response to this article, refuting all charges. In
addition, his office contacted Post to draw our attention to the
response. The GoG indicated that the Prefecture maintains primary
responsibility for the issue, but that the GoG remained committed to
assisting, given the importance of the issue. Baltas stated that
extensive studies have and continue to be done, and that progress
has been made. Industries were fined roughly $4.18 million and
clean-up measures have taken place. In contrast to the article, the
GoG stated that water is tested daily and is within "acceptable
standards", as set by the European Union,for minerals and chemicals,
and that there is no hexavalent chromium present. (Comment: After
contacting various ministries within GoG, no definate answer was
found as to who sets the standards on air and waterpollution in
Greece. A representative from the Ministry of Environment stated
that the standards used in Greece for pollution and air quality
measurements come from European Union standards. End comment.)
Baltas promised that ongoing studies will serve to set new limits by
the end of the year on dangerous industrial waste, and that a
Presidential decree is expected over the coming months to establish
laws on the creation of protected areas. It is expected that the
Asopos will be one of these areas.


7. (U) Econ Intern spoke with Oinofyta Mayor Theodoropoulos on
August 4 to get his point of view, as it was his concern and
disappointment with the GoG that led him to contact Erin Brockovich
for help in addressing pollution in the Asopos River last year. The
Mayor sounded optimistic about the GoG's involvement with the Asopos
in contrast to his previous outrage. Unlike Brockovich's earlier
assessment, and refuting the recent article on the issue, the Mayor
described the situation of industrial dumping as having improved and
noted that the GoG actively assesses and cleans the river on a
regular basis. Theodoropoulos verified that the area's drinking
water has connected to the system in Mornos, and that systematic
checking of the drinking water continues to take place. He noted
that it is impossible to check all industries, but stricter rules
and projects to gather data on industries such as land measurements,
property lines, amount of waste disposal, and pipeline locations
have improved the pollution situation. The Mayor indicated that the
GoG installed an air station that tests air quality daily, and that
a center for protection and research of the environment has been
pre-approved. Following completion of the assessment study,
Oinofyta will be the pilot for the center.


8. (SBU) Econ Intern spoke with Greenpeace Director Nikos
Charalambides, who acknowledged the GoG's attempts to improve the
situation, but is disappointed with the GoG for its lack of tangible
progress made. He recognized GoG efforts to monitor the air but
explained that the monitoring of animals, groundwater, and
individuals such as babies and pregnant women in various areas is
necessary because inhalation of hexavalent chromium is more
dangerous than its consumption. He stressed that the punitive fines
on industries are not high enough to motivate them to stop waste
disposal, that efforts need to be made in addressing groundwater and
that more checks in general are needed. Charalambides expressed
disappointment that neither the national government nor the local
government has taken responsibility, and stressed that cooperation
between agencies and departments is needed. (Note: Greenpeace plays
a small role in the Asopos River by offering advice to local
authorities, groups and to the Ministry of Environment. End note.)



9. (SBU) Comment. Public concern for environmental issues in Greece
remains, albeit, at times unguided. The GoG continues to receive
sharp criticism on a range of its environmental efforts and
failures, and continues to move towards establishing an independent
Ministry of Environment within the next year. It is curious that
the Mayor of Oinofyta, previously one of the most outspoken GoG
critics on the Asopos issue, has all but stopped speaking publicly,
either for or against the GoG, and only quietly supports the GoG
when speaking at all. Like some of the reports indicate, Post

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believes that the GoG has taken considerable steps in some regards;
however, Post remains hesitant to laud the steps as being entirely
successful. Post continues to engage the GoG on the environment,
including by seeking opportunities to collaborate. For example, Post
and the GoG have worked together on renewable energy projects in
Greece and abroad and significant dialogue about climate change has
taken place. Given the initial outpouring of attention from
American citizens on this issue last year, Post continues to monitor
developments on this situation. End Comment.

MCCARTHY