Athens dirty, with low quality of life

Athens is the dirtiest European Union capital and the lowest-ranking in quality of life, according to a survey by an international consulting firm published in yesterday’s Ta Nea daily. The survey of 215 cities around the world by William M. Mercer placed Athens 196th as far as environmental cleanliness is concerned. Naturally, this was the lowest score for an EU capital. According to company spokeswoman Yvonne Traber, air pollution and the presence of waste in rivers and the sea were the main reasons for the Greek capital’s low score – 64.5. The William Mercer benchmark is New York, which is rated at 100. The cleanest EU capital was Helsinki, rated at 158. The filthiest city in the world was Mexico City, at 29.5. Athens came 87th in the quality of life section, which is determined according to 39 criteria which include personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services.