Expert calls for villages to be moved due to landslides

The state should consider moving certain mountain settlements to a different location instead of investing in expensive anti-erosion works, says Efthymis Lekkas, professor of dynamic tectonic applied geology at Athens University and head of the Organization of Earthquake Planning and Protection.

The proposal comes after a team of professors and researchers from the university's Geology Department completed a survey of the areas facing the greatest risk after the damage caused by Cyclone Ianos in September 2020.

Lekkas argues that the continuous investment in expensive anti-erosion projects does not make sense in areas where the soil is too weak. He said a total of 260 sites have been identified in the prefecture of Karditsa alone, where various landslides are in progress.

"I think the relocation of some settlements such as Agia Marina and Ktimeni should be...