Oinofyta water talks sink
Talks between the Municipality of Oinofyta, the Athens and Piraeus water company (EYDAP) and the Environment Ministry over water problems in the area north of the capital reached an impasse yesterday, with none of the parties prepared to finance a possible solution. Authorities are trying to find a way to replace Oinofyta’s drinking water which is currently being drawn from the heavily polluted Asopos River. Sources said that EYDAP agreed yesterday to supply the area with unfiltered water but stopped short of providing the necessary filtering system. Oinofyta Municipality officials responded by saying that it would be unfair to ask residents to pay for the system after drinking contaminated water for so many years. The municipality has asked the government to declare a state of emergency in the area in order to avoid red tape and speed up possible solutions. Environment Ministry General Secretary Evangelos Baltas suggested that the municipality could seek the funds from the Interior Ministry.