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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Initial Response to Asopos River Outcry in 2007 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mixed Reactions to Ministry Response - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶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 ATHENS 00001168 002 OF 003 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 ATHENS 00001168 003 OF 003 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