Poison spray used in Zappeion Garden
Zappeion Hall has been listed among the projects for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and the Zappeion Garden surrounding it – which is separate from the National Gardens – is included in the program for the unification of archaeological sites. Though one of the few surviving green areas in central Athens, it has undergone repeated spraying with a poisonous insecticide. Horticulturalist Marios Desyllas took photographs in March in the Zappeion Garden and on Ardittou Hill, which is managed by the same committee, and the hill on Agras Street, showing that they have all been sprayed with weed-killer. Some of the weeds are still green, while others right next to them have withered as if they have been attacked by some disease. This illustrates a typical result of using weed-killer, according to Desyllas. Banned His observation is confirmed by Dimitris Michas, the managing committee’s horticulturalist, who contacted Kathimerini on the advice of the committee’s chairperson, Ioanna Karavokiri, and who wanted to set the record straight. «When a pharmaceutical is used correctly,» says Michas, «there is no danger. Weeds have to be dealt with and this is the only way.» Asked which pharmaceutical he used, Michas said it was Gramoxone. According to the Agriculture Ministry’s authorization for this weed-killer in 1999, Gramoxone «is banned from use in residential areas or at distances of up to 50 meters from them. It is deadly if swallowed, irritates the eyes and if any gets onto clothing during use, the clothes must be removed immediately. Its use may be harmful to the health of users, consumers of agricultural products and to the environment. It must not be combined with other agricultural pharmaceuticals, or pollute irrigation or drinking water, or be sprayed on sensitive crops. And the container must be marked as poison, displaying a skull and crossbones.» Two years ago when the Zappeion Garden was sprayed, nearby residents complained that they had seen dead tortoises and suspected the use of poison. No need Desyllas says there is no need to combat these particular weeds. «They aren’t weeds that stifle productive plants, but low weeds that grow in the shade of huge trees,» he explains. «What harm can they possibly do to large trees? This is an excessively harsh way of dealing with something that isn’t a problem.» Besides, Presidential Decree 115/93, which was issued to harmonize with EU Directive 414, stipulates that weed-killers should be used as little as possible and only when absolutely necessary. As for Ardittou Hill, the weeds there not only don’t bother anybody but are actually useful. As Desyllas says, «They hold the soil on slopes and help prevent erosion.» The Zappeion Garden’s horticulturalist insists that the weeds must be destroyed because they become a fire hazard when they dry out. But there are other methods of dealing with them, such as using a lawn mower or heat treatment machines that scorch weeds with a gas flame. The prevailing attitude toward managing green areas in the Zappeion Garden seems antiquated. Instead of being used to make compost, the waste from seasonal pruning is simply piled up in corners and thrown away, while chemical fertilizer is used on the plants. Doctored alcohol
