The stream of Pikrodafni was once the third largest river in Attica, after Kifissos and Ilissos. It comes from the west side of Ymittos, crosses four municipalities through densely populated areas and ends at the sea of ​​Paleo Faliro.

It extends about 9 kilometers, has great biodiversity, exhibits rich bushy and forest vegetation, as well as a multitude of wildflowers, hosts more than 150 different species of birds, as well as turtles, hedgehogs, frogs, lizards, bats.

This is the natural and beautiful side of the Pikrodafni stream, because there is its ugly side. In many places, abandonment and degradation are visible, as you will find from rubbish to rubble, and is always visible to the risk of flooding, despite cleaning, as infrastructure is needed and reinforced.

Most of it is located in the municipality of Agios Dimitrios and Mayor Stelios Mamalakis has begun an effort to upgrade the entire stream and promoted it to a metropolitan green and leisure lung and in a linear park that will join mountain and sea, cycling and walking.

With a vision and plan for the stream, it attempts to mobilize the other three municipalities, Ilioupoli, Alimos and Paleo Faliro, as well as the Region of Attica, so that all their forces can unite in a joint effort.

In this context, he has invited the three mayors and the Regional Governor Nikos Chardalia, next Thursday (13/2) at a meeting at Agios Dimitrios Town Hall, on the highlight of the promotion and protection of the stream of Pikrodafni and the implementation of the proposal to create a one. common times management.

“With the cooperation of all stakeholders, Pikrodafni can turn into a model park, offering residents an oasis of green and leisure, contributing to the environmental upgrading of the whole area,” says Mamalakis and explains to RES-EIA how Started all this effort:

“Ilioupoli has a large part of the bitterness that is closed, Alimos has a small part of the stream, but due to downhill slope it has a high risk of flooding and therefore high interest and we are the largest part, as it crosses the whole municipality and the old Faliro, which is the ending of the stream. “

Then, the Mayor of Agios Dimitrios says of the stream of Pikrodafni: “It is one of the largest in Attica and a green lung. The project is not local, it is metropolitan, it is a work for all of Attica, not only for the region. It connects the mountain to the sea, the Hymettus with the Faliro Front, and this makes it unique. Starting from the mountain, crossing the route and reaching the sea, it is a unique case, we are talking about an emblematic project. And of course the stream also has enormous environmental value, so any intervention can only be done with respect to the Pikrodafni environment.

However, there are major problems, such as corrosion on the edges of the stream, which make it dangerous to houses near the banks. There is now a great danger and we have also identified it in the autopsy we did recently. There is always the risk of flooding phenomena and some projects must be done.

On whether he has also found interest from the other mayors, through the first contacts he has certainly made, he replies: “I think there is interest from the other mayors. Which mayor would not want to use a piece of his municipality? After all, the implementation of this project will also provide value. Who wouldn’t want that? It will also bring traffic, for the benefit of the local economy. It will breathe throughout the area of ​​the stream. The project is emblematic, there will be cycling paths, walks, leisure points, environmental education areas and all with complete respect for the natural environment of the stream. “

And the mayor of Agios Dimitrios concludes: “The utilization of the Pikrodafni stream is urgent. And why it will offer Attica a green lung, which needs him and a significant environmental development, but also because he will come to correct the problems that exist, with the serious dangers of pregnancy. “