Competitive Cooperation of Peloponnese: “Red card to the government”

Announcement of the “Competitive Partnership of Peloponnese”:

A serious political, social and moral issue arises from the government’s decision to “write on the oldest of its shoes” the negative opinions of the Regional Council of Peloponnese and the Municipal Council of Kalamata regarding the EIA of “anti-flood protection of the highway”. The Ministry of Infrastructure, ignoring the negative decisions of the institutions of self-government and the need for flood protection of Kalamata, decided instead to approve flood protection projects of Kalamata as requested by the Municipal Council of the city and the Regional Council of Peloponnese to approve the pharaonic “reconstruction” project of of the open channel of Nedon and channeling into it all the waters from the streams west and east of the torrent. Which appears publicly as “Kalamata flood protection” but in the contract it is revealed that it is “motorway flood protection” because it had pre-agreed with “Morea” to give it 80 million euros by direct assignment as part of the distribution of the financial “pie” to the business groups.

The ministry’s decision is highly revealing and challenging for the lion’s share of highway contracts in favor of concessionaires. It states in plain Greek that if… the road floods, the State will pay compensation to “Morea”. In other words, it confirms that the road was actually built without flood protection and if it is closed due to a strong storm, then the company will be compensated.

The “Competitive Cooperation of Peloponnese” during the discussion of the EIA issue at the Regional Council of Peloponnese had emphasized that after the Technical report – study by the Professor of the National Technical University of Athens D. Koutsoyiannis and his team, on the flood defenses of Kalamata, it was confirmed that as in life and in politics, so in dealing with technical problems, there are no one-way streets.

There are at least two logics: One that is supported by the environmental impact study and leads to the channeling and loss of huge amounts of rain through Nedonta which in itself is anti-environmental in the era of climate change. And it gets even worse with a major operation along the axis of the city, destroying and removing an unprecedented volume of inert materials. An operation that destroys the infrastructures that have been created and the reconstruction of which no one can guarantee, disrupts and paralyzes the economic and social life in a large part of the city for years at critical times and in addition cuts down more than 170 large trees and narrows too much very Artemis Street.

The other logic which is reflected in the Technical report – study of the Professor of the National Technical University of Athens D. Koutsoyiannis and his team, for the flood protection of Kalamata which we also support and in fact the Municipal Council of Kalamata has also supported with its decision,emphasizes and supports that water volumes should and can be stopped by creating dams and micro-dams in the Nedonta, the planned drainage of rainwater from streams in the Nedonta and the restoration of the smooth flow in the covered part of the stream. He typically mentions that: “projects should be done in the upstream basin. These include (a) maintenance and expansion of the existing mountain hydrology projects, (b) construction of a tree trunk retention grate upstream of the already settled bed and near the bridge of the perimeter road, (c) construction of an impoundment dam – enrichment of aquifers in the central mountain bed, and (d) construction of a storage dam in the eastern part of the basin. These projects will create additional benefits by providing additional water resources. The redesign of the streams that contribute to the Nedonto can contribute to the same goal”, It is obvious that this proposal is environmentally friendly, imperative in today’s times and compatible with the efforts to strengthen water transport.

For all these reasons the “Competition Cooperation of Peloponnese” proposed to decide the Regional Council of Peloponnese which decided with the agreement of the faction of the Regional Governor Mr. P. Nikas.

1. To vote against the specific Environmental Impact Study.

2. A new EIA for the anti-flood protection of Kalamata should come in a radically different logic from the current one and be in the logic of “solution 2” of Mr. D. Koutsoyiannis and his team. That is, “to do projects in the upstream basin.” These should include (a) maintenance and expansion of the existing mountain hydrology projects, (b) construction of a trellis to hold tree trunks upstream of the already arranged bed and near the bridge of the perimeter road, (c) construction of a dam to impound and enrich aquifers in the central mountain bed, and (d) construction of a storage dam in the eastern part of the basin. These projects will create additional benefits by providing additional water resources. The redesign of the streams that contribute to Nedon can contribute to the same goal.”

Unfortunately, the government, operating in a stupid way – after waiting for the elections to be held so that its elected officials would not suffer electoral damage – and against the interests of Kalamata and its citizens, approved the EIA to give the concessionaire, by direct assignment, projects worth 80 million euros which will destroy the social and economic life of Kalamata for at least 3 years.

It is the responsibility of the new Municipal Council and the new Municipal Authority of Kalamata as well as the new Regional Council and the new Regional Authority of Peloponnese to respect the decisions that have been made and to oppose the wrong and destructive choices of the government otherwise they will be written in black letters at the beginning of the of his tenure as happened with Simitis with his stop at Imia.