We had a large amount of precipitation in a short time, because of which the water formed rivers and lakes on the road surface, as it does not have time to be absorbed. This is how scientists explain the phenomenon of floods, which are increasingly occurring in cities, noting that the risk of floods will decrease as infrastructure and knowledge improve. A typical example is Attica, whose main transport arteries, such as the avenues of Piraeus, Poseidonos and Vouliagmenis, “drowned”.

“Just as we learned what to do in an earthquake, so we must learn in school what to do in a flood,” Eftimios Lekkas, professor of geology and anti-crisis management, tells about this “K”.. Piraeus, Kalithea, Moschato, Rentis, Peristeri, Agia Anargyri, Nea Liosia and the center of Athens are the areas of Attica with the highest frequency of floods.

Mr. Lekkas explains that until around 2000, Kifissos, Ilissos and Iridanos were the main recipients of rainwater, but the expansion of construction forced the pumping of water into secondary channels, which, however, were not able to withstand large volumes of water, which led to flooding in such areas like Peristeri, Kifisia, Chalandri, Voula.

Change data

“The height of the flood continues to rise as the water cannot reach the sea.”

Scientists predict an increase in the frequency and magnitude of floods in the coming years as the climate crisis intensifies the severity of the phenomenon.

“From now on, we will have heat waves, floods, hail, hurricane-force winds, emergencies, and all this much more often and for a longer period,” Mr. Panagiotis Nastos informed K about this.Professor at the EKPA Climatological Laboratory and President of the Hellenic Meteorological Society.

The absence of free soil surfaces, and the fact that the networks and infrastructure of Athens and other major cities are designed to past specifications, create conditions for increasing the risk and impact of flooding. “The height of the floods is increasing all the time because the water cannot get into the sea,” says Mr. Lekkas, adding that the drainage infrastructure was built on the basis of data from the past.

And although the risk is constantly increasing, our vulnerability to it is increasing. The city has underground passages, a lot of traffic, and the citizens do not know how dangerous it is to try to cross a flooded street.

“The frequency of phenomena will increase, and more and more disasters,” the scientist clarifies, adding that since we do not have the ability to change natural phenomena, we should better strengthen ourselves at this time. “To reduce the vulnerability of networks and infrastructure and make sure that we do not put ourselves at risk,” he notes.

Smart Solutions

Mr. Lekkas emphasizes that the specifications on which the public administration decides on the execution of technical projects should be changed. “Public administration is currently lagging behind scientific progress. We can’t do technical projects like we did 20 years ago. There are smart solutions, innovative projects, and we have to look at new data,” he concludes.