Major operation under way to clean Kifissos riverbed
Work is under way to clean the underground portion of the Kifissos riverbed in Athens for the first time in at least 20 years.
The operation is being done on behalf of the Region of Attica under extremely difficult circumstances, with inadequate ventilation and lighting, and in some areas works have been halted due to the presence of stagnant water up to 80 cm deep.
Moreover, the accumulation of transported materials, trash and debris along the 8.6 km section of the underground bed of the river present numerous challenges.
Much damage have also been revealed, the repair of which appears to be an almost insurmountable task, not least that of a closed pipeline lining the bed. The regional authority is expected to hold a meeting next week looking for ways to assess the risks and to initiate repairs where needed.
A year ago, a group of speleologists explored the Kifissos’ subsurface bed. The photographs and descriptions of the situation demonstrated the necessity for immediate intervention, regarding the cleaning and the staticity of the closed conduit lying below Kifissou Avenue, along which thousands of cars are driven per day. The Region of Attica initially hired experts and then declared the underground section in a “state of special civil protection mobilization.”
To this end, the Region of Attica signed a 1.24-million-euro budget contract on August 1 with a technical company (FRATEK SA) for the cleaning of the closed section within three months. The contract includes the removal of rubbish and vegetation from the entire closed section so that they do not obstruct the flow of water and impede the identification of points where there is damage.
According to an announcement on Wednesday by the Region of Attica, the situation encountered by the crews was tragic.
“The cleaning is carried out under extremely difficult conditions, due to the absence of adequate ventilation, the lack of lighting that necessitates the use of generators and floodlights, the use of special personal protective equipment due to the presence of a very large number of insects and a muddy substrate, the use of crawler machinery to access the interior of the pipeline, as well as hydraulic hammers to break up large pieces of concrete that have fallen from the roof and side walls,” the announcement said, noting, however, that the main problem concerns the existence of water inside the closed part of the pipeline, at a significant height.
