Court suspends Acheloos works
The Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court, yesterday ordered the suspension of a controversial project to divert the country’s second-longest river, the Acheloos, from western Greece to the heavily farmed Plain of Thessaly, approving an appeal by environmentalists against the plans. The ruling by the court’s appeals division approved an appeal lodged last October by the conservation group WWF Hellas on behalf of a number of environmental protection organizations. The ruling states that «the continuation of works would result in the further degeneration of the landscape, harm the river and surrounding ecosystems, have a negative impact on water levels and lead to the partial flooding of the nearby town of Mesochora.» A dam was built near the town several years ago and the government recently announced that it would not be used in the diversion project but to aid energy production.
