It’s what’s inside that counts

The recent downpours in Athens, which caused the closure of a major thoroughfare, Poseidonos Avenue, and sent sewage spilling out into the streets of the affluent southern coastal suburbs, serve as a poignant metaphor. This area is, after all, the much-touted "Athenian Riviera," with so many promises of lucrative investments and so many luxurious apartments and expensive buildings - many of which are illegally connected to public utilities. 

According to the Athens Water and Sewerage Company (EYDAP) there are an estimated 7,000 properties in the area that have been hooked up to the public sewerage network without a proper license. "The problem becomes excessively aggravated during heavy downpours," the company notes. In this recent instance, water flooded the overburdened sewerage pipes, pushing them beyond capacity and causing one of the covers to pop off.

The...