K. Skrekas for northern Evia: ‘Impressive pace of implementation of anti-corrosion projects’

The Minister of Environment and Energy, Costas Skrekas and the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, George Amyras, visited the areas of Northern Evia affected by the devastating fires of last August.

In their autopsy, they found that the implementation of anti-corrosion projects is progressing at an unprecedented rate. In total, more than 600 members from 33 Forest Cooperatives (DASE) from Northern Evia and all over Greece work in the affected areas under the Limni and Istiaia Forest Offices.

The first works started immediately after the extinguishing of the fires last August and concerned the extraction of the transient burned vegetation by the local DASE, after coordinated actions of the Ministry of Environment and Energy. At the same time, the elaboration of the identification study for the identification and prioritization of the anti-corrosion works in the whole of the burned area began, which was completed in record time, specifically on September 2. The decision to declare the burned forest area reforestable was issued at an equally rapid pace, given that it has been sent for publication in a Government Gazette since October 15.

Implementation course of the restoration projects in the areas of the Lake and Istiaia Forest Offices

To date, all corrosion protection studies have been completed and soil retention works have begun in all nine hydrological basins under the Lake and Istiaia Forest Offices, with a total budget of 12 million euros. The implementation rate of the anti-corrosion projects exceeds 50% and if the weather conditions allow, all the works will be completed by December 15, 2021.

In total, the following quantities of work have been performed:

· Logs: 500 km.

· Barriers: 10,000 sq.m.

· Branches: 13 km.

· Plank walls: 15 km.

The evolution of rehabilitation projects compared to similar cases in the recent past

Anti-corrosion projects in the areas of Northern Evia are being implemented at a much faster rate compared to the recent past.

Examples are the following cases:

– Fire in Ymittos, Attica in the summer of 2015 that burned 5,000 acres. The projects started in the summer of 2016.

– Fire in Kinetta, Attica, on July 23, 2018. The works for the protection and restoration of the 49,000 acres that were burned started in April 2019 and were completed in November 2019.

– Fire in Neos Voutzas and Mati on July 23, 2018. The anti-corrosion works for the protection of the burned area of ​​20,000 acres started in early 2019.

For the elaboration of the relevant studies and the implementation of the anti-corrosion projects in Northern Evia, the Ministry of Environment and Energy has secured credits that will exceed a total of 22 million euros. The contribution of private companies in the framework of the newly established institution of the “Rehabilitation and Reforestation Contractor” is also important, given that so far the donations only for the region of Northern Evia exceed 4.5 million euros.

The Minister of Environment and Energy, Costas Skrekas, stated: “I visited today the areas of Northern Evia that were hit by the catastrophic fire of last August, in order to see up close the impressive volume of work that has been completed in such a short time. In the past, anti-corrosion works in fire-affected areas have been carried out in record time. This particularly encouraging development is due to four reasons: first, the Secondly, the subordination of the forest services directly to the Ministry of Environment and Energy, with which we achieved the maximum degree of coordination with the decentralized services. concerns the assignment of projects to Forest Cooperatives. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the professionalism and zeal shown by the members of the Forest Cooperatives from Northern Evia and all over Greece, who are working feverishly to protect our forest ecosystems from the climate crisis. ”

The Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, George Amyras, said: “Once again we met in Limni and Istiaia and witnessed the progress of anti-corrosion projects, which are progressing faster than ever. Northern Evia will once again become a beautiful, fertile and “Nature is being reborn much more rapidly. Nature is already being reborn at a rapid pace, but people are also getting back on their feet with the help of the Greek State, as launched by order of the Prime Minister and based on the government’s reconstruction plan.”