Filthy Pinios leaves residents cheesed off
The Pinios River near Larissa in central Greece is heavily polluted, according to test results revealed yesterday following complaints by locals about the pungent smell emanating from the water. At the start of the month, residents complained to local authorities that they could not sleep at night because of the stench from the river. Locals then took it upon themselves to patrol the Pinios, collect samples of the water and send them to a private laboratory for analysis. According to the results unveiled yesterday by the deputy mayor of Trikala, Achilleas Alexiou, the smell had probably been caused by organic waste that had been dumped illegally in the river from a local cheese factory. However, the tests also revealed a high concentration of pesticides in the water, which is also used for irrigation by local farmers.
