New route for the VOAK-airport link

There can be few people, either residents or visitors, who have not experienced at some point the rigours of the road connecting Souda with Chania airport. Whether as a nervous taxi passenger or at the wheel of one’s own transport, hurrying to catch a flight or struggling to keep to the road after a late-night arrival from Northern Europe, the combination of narrow lanes, blind bends, poor lighting and slow-moving trucks, not to mention impatient local drivers, renders the journey uniquely stressful. While the road surface and markings have been improved in recent years, the problems remain.

It has been repeatedly pointed out that a busy international airport such as Chania, which welcomes millions of passengers a year, requires an access road which will ease the journey for those arriving or leaving and will not blight the visitor’s initial impressions of the island. It is therefore a relief to know that plans for a new access route linking the airport with the VOAK are now properly under way. (Haniotika Nea 8th December)

At a meeting at the offices of the Regional Unit of Chania on Wednesday 7th December, deputy minister for Infrastructure Giorgos Karagiannis revealed the plans for a new link road which will bypass the populated areas through which the current road passes and will cost over 100 million euros to implement. The minister said that there will be an effort to incorporate the VOAK-airport link into the overall VOAK project so that the two are funded simultaneously, which will facilitate raising the resources needed for its construction.

The new route

Map of the proposed route for the new Chania airport-VOAK link
The new road planned to link Chania airport with the VOAK at Souda (approximate route shown in red), should reduce journey times and will avoid the built-up areas through which the current road (shown in grey) now passes.

Details of the new plan were presented at the meeting by Giannis Karnesis, Director for Transport Infrastructure at the ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The basic points of his exposition were as follows:

– There was an old plan drawn up by the Cretan Regional Authority which could not be implemented because there were major objections from the communities of Pithari and Souda. The plan essentially provided for the widening of the existing road, with expropriations having been already carried out along the major part of it.

– The ministry itself had drawn up a provisional plan 18 months ago but that again proved unacceptable, since it created problems in urban areas which are undergoing intensive residential development.

– They have now devised a new route passing close to the Naval Base, which is not a built-up area, so that the urban areas will not be disturbed.

– Starting from the Air Base junction on the existing road south from the airport, the new road will turn south west, “diving down towards the sea” as Mr Karnesis put it, and will bypass the settlement of Aroni, skirting the edge of the Naval Station/US base. The new route, according to the planners, will not affect the settlements of Aroni and Pithari as the first plan would have.

– Between Akrotiri and Souda there will be two viaducts to shorten the distance, for which environmental permits will be required.

– The final phase of the plan comprises an 800-metre long viaduct built on piles which will run west of Souda, connecting the new road with the VOAK.

– The new road will terminate 1 km west of the current Souda junction, where a new junction will be created.

“The project avoids creating problems in urban areas, but there will need to be an immediate agreement with the Crete Naval Station for them to give us permission on the boundaries of the controlled area,” Mr Karnesis said, adding that the basic difference from the previous plan was that the latter “cut across the settlement and created problems in the urban zone.” A video of Mr Karnesi’s presentation of the new route of the link road can be seen on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5IsgRyT8Do.

The deputy minister’s predictions

The Souda airport connection is a priority for the government, the deputy minister told reporters. Planning is under way and the project will be submitted for environmental permissions in the first three to four months of 2023. Commenting on the fact that permission for the route has yet to be received from the ministry of Defence, he said he was confident that it would be granted. “We have an overall plan for Crete, a holistic approach which will make Crete a different island in the coming years,” he said.

The meeting at the Regional Unit of Chania was attended by the Deputy Regional Governor Nikos Kalogeris, and Chania MPs Dora Bakogianni, Manousos Voloudakis and Vasilis Digalakis.

The Mournies junction

The deputy minister also paid a visit to the Mournies junction, where work has been progressing over the past few months, and predicted that the project would be finished by the end of May 2023. Asked by local residents about the pedestrian pavements which are needed at the northern end of the Mournies road, he reassured them that they were part of the plan and would be included in the finished project.

Island tourism at the centre of Canaries convention

There were calls for tourism to become an integral facet of EU policy, and for the creation of a European Tourism body at the 1st European Tourism Islands Convention which was held on Gran Canaria on 1st to 2nd December. A delegation from the Region of Crete were among those present.

According to a press release from the Cretan Regional Authority, the common position of the convention was that “tourism is a key sector of the economy of the European continent, which is a world leader in tourism, and to maintain this supremacy, tourism needs to be declared a Common Policy of the EU.”

At the same time, the Convention proposed “the creation of a European Tourism body, which would give priority to multinational strategic projects in European funding and would promote the funding of touristic projects, especially in support of the islands which are most afflicted by the crisis.”

The Region of Crete’s delegation comprised Kyriakos Kostoglou, Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism and Electronic Government; Eirini Dimou, President of the Department of Business Administration and Tourism of the Hellenic Mediterranean University; and Alexandros Angelopoulos, CEO of Aldemar Resorts and vice-president of the Heraklion Hoteliers Union.

Deputy Regional Governor Kyriakos Kostoglou addresses the 1st European Tourism Islands Convention, 2nd December 2022
Cretan Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism and Electronic Government Kyriakos Kostoglou addresses the 1st European Tourism Islands Convention on Gran Canaria, Friday 2nd December. Photo: www.crete.gov.gr

Representing Crete, Mr Kostoglou, said: “By itself, a convention where you see representatives from the Balearics with 16 million visitors, but also the Azores and Madeira and the other island powers of Europe and their proposals, is of tremendous interest.

“In addition, the aims and the final declaration of the convention express the anxiety that the consequences of pandemics, war and chiefly climate change will come more quickly and more aggressively to the islands and for that reason we need to move forward more quickly with a common European Tourism Policy. We have come out wiser from this conference and we propose that the next meeting should take place in Crete in 2023.”

The Convention committed itself to drawing up a Strategic Plan for 2023, which would place the European Islands at at the top of the EU’s agenda in the urgent fight against climate change, through a new common European Tourism Policy and a European Tourist Service, setting the date for a new Islands Convention in October of next year.

The participants

In addition to Crete, representatives from Sardinia, Gozo, Cyprus, the Canaries and the Balearic Islands, Corsica, Martinique, Guadalupe and Reunion, Madeira and the Azores and the French Guiana region, were present.

European funds for fishing and aquaculture

With its myriad islands, variously estimated between 1,200 and 6,000, of which 227 are inhabited according to the EOT, Greece has 13,676 km of coastline, which is the largest in the Mediterranean basin. Despite the decline in fish stocks caused by overfishing and degradation of the marine environment, fishing continues to play a major part in the economies of many of these islands, still providing a livelihood for thousands of families, for many of whom it is the sole source of income. A recent agreement with the European Commission on funding for fisheries and aquaculture development should help to secure their future. (Haniotika Nea, 5th December)

The European Common Fisheries policy tries to balance the requirements of the maritime economy with modern trends towards conservation. The policy is currently implemented through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), which entered into force on 14th July 2021 and runs until 2027.

According to the European Commission’s Oceans and Fisheries website:

“As a global ocean actor and a major producer of seafood, the EU has a responsibility to protect and sustainably use the oceans and their resources. It is also in the EU’s socioeconomic interest to guarantee the availability of food supplies, the competitiveness of the maritime economy and the livelihood of coastal communities.

“The fund helps achieve sustainable fisheries and conserve marine biological resources. This leads to:
– food security through the supply of seafood products
– growth of a sustainable blue economy
– healthy, safe and sustainably managed seas and oceans

“It also helps achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 (‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources’), to which the EU is committed. Furthermore, the EMFAF helps fulfil the objectives of the European European Green Deal, the roadmap for the EU climate and environmental policies.”

Financial support for the Common Fisheries Policy

The fund’s total budget for 2021-2027 is €6.1 billion. Of this, €5.3 billion is provided through national programmes co-financed by the EU budget and EU countries, and €797 million is provided directly by the Commission. The funds are administered via national implementation programmes.

EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius
“I am delighted to announce the adoption of the EMFAF programmes for Greece and Romania that will support sustainable investments in aquaculture and fisheries, accelerating the green and digital transition of the sector. The programmes will also contribute to the protection and restoration of the marine environment in Greece and stronger conservation policy in the Black Sea respectively.” – EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius

Greece was one of the first EU member states to submit a plan in 2021, and the funding for it has just been agreed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. The total financial allocation for the Greek programme 2021-2027 is €519.6 million over the next six years, of which the EU contribution accounts for €363.7 million.

Of this, €207.9 million (57%) will go to Sustainable fisheries, €91.2 million (25%) to Sustainable aquaculture and processing, €49.9 million (14%) to the Sustainable blue economy, €7 million (2%) to International ocean governance, and €7.6 million (2%) to Technical assistance.

According to the Oceans and Fisheries website, the Greek EMFAF programme will contribute to the EU policy priorities outlined in the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork, and Biodiversity strategies. It will support the resilience, development and diversification of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, using compensation schemes to support them against future crises.

It will also support the green transition of these sectors with investments aimed at improving the selectivity of fishing gear, health and safety, decarbonisation and energy efficiency. Investments in the modernisation of fishing ports will also be supported. The digital transition of the Greek fisheries, aquaculture and processing sectors is a key area of the programme

The financial support will also help to develop and implement management plans for marine protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, and to fight against marine litter, encourage the removal of abandoned fishing gear and other waste, and limit the impact of marine invasive species.

Christmas programme for the Municipality of Chania

Chania Christmas events poster 2022

The main events for the Christmas holidays in the municipality of Chania were presented at a press conference on Friday 2nd December, as follows:

Sunday 4th December 2022
17:00 Lower Stalos: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children
17:30 Lendariana: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children

Friday 9th December 2022
17:30 Square of the Glass Mosque,Venetian Harbour, main event: Illumination of the municipal Christmas tree.

Sunday 11th December
10:00 Vamvakopoulo primary school: Activities for children, illumination of Christmas tree.
13:00 Varypetro square: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children
17:00 Mournies square: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children
18:00 Agia Marina (community office): Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children
18:00 Square in Horafakia-Akrotiri: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children
19:00 Square in Kampoi-Kerameia : Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children

Wednesday 14th December 2022
18:30 Sternes (entrance to village): Illumination of Christmas tree,

Friday 16th December 2022
17:00 Agia, Parish Cultural Centre: Christmas exhibition “Hobbies and Handicrafts”
18:00 Perivolia: Inauguration of celebrations, War Memorial square; Christmas bazaar, former Agricultural Co-op building.
18:00 Aptera (old Primary School): Theatrical performance, “Tricks of the Kallikantzari”.

Saturday 17th December 2022
15:30 to 19:30 Perivolia: Traditional dances and songs and Christmas magic show, former Agricultural Co-op building; Christmas train, Perivolia square
18:30 Daratso square: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children
19:00 Galatas square: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children
19:00 Square in Agia: Illumination of Christmas tree, activities for children

Sunday 18th December
12.00 noon Perivolia: Christmas magic show, former Agricultural Co-op building
17:00 Agia, Parish Cultural Centre: Christmas magic show

Tuesday 20th December
9:00 to 12:00 Agia Marina (community office): Christmas decorations workshop.
15:00 Tsikalaria, Primary School: Christmas magic show.

Wednesday 21st December
13:00 Kerameia-Katochori (Primary School): Christmas train; Cultural Association hall: theatrical performance, “Adventures of the elf from the North Pole”

Friday 23rd December
12:00 Tsikalaria (Primary School): Christmas train

Monday 26th December
10:00 Sternes (cave church of Agios Antonios): Nativity play by children of the village
11:00 Aroni (square): Christmas train
City of Chania: Santa Run 2022

Tuesday 27th December
15:30 Chordaki: Christmas train
17:30 Sternes (Primary School): Christmas train; visit to Santa Claus’s house.

Wednesday 28th December
18:00 Souda (Polykentro): Theatrical performance, “Adventures of the elf from the North Pole”

Thursday 29th December
11:00 Varipetro: Christmas train

Saturday 31st December
22:00 Chania: Welcome to the New Year under the clock of the Municipal Garden.

In collaboration with local councils, local cultural and athletic associations, and other local bodies.

Santa's Workshop poster, Chania 2022

Morning and afternoon events for children
At the KAM-Megalo Arsenali in Chania, from 11/12/22 to 08/01/23
At the Mikis Theodorakis Theatre, the old harbour, Chania, from 14/2/22 to 05/01/23

A Christmas bazaar – “Santa’s Workshop” – will be operating at the Megalo Arsenali on the old harbour in Chania, from 17th December 2022 to 7th January 2023.

Experts recommend flu vaccination for the coming winter

All those who got vaccinated against flu in previous years should do it again this year especially, as a big wave of flu is expected this winter, Nikos Tzanakis, professor of Pneumonology at the University of Crete told ERT1’s Weekend programme on Sunday 27th November. “Now is the time to get vaccinated,” the professor said.

 “This year there is an early proliferation of viruses which are chiefly affecting children, who are carrying them home from the schools and nurseries, with the result that older people get sick. Chiefly these are people who are vulnerable, either from their immune system being compromised by drugs, or because they are very old, with the result that they suffer greatly from these feverish flu-like conditions, as we call them,” Mr Tzanakis said.

He noted that paediatricians and paediatric clinics are currently under great pressure because of multiple respiratory infections. Many children are getting quite severe symptoms, even having to be admitted to hospital and treated with oxygen and other respiratory aids.

Masks give protection against flu

Asked about the need to continue wearing masks, the Professor said that as both the coronavirus and flu are respiratory infections, “the best method of protection from them is the mask and the proper use of hand disinfectant. I don’t think that we need to make [the mask] obligatory again, but the most vulnerable people and the aged are well advised to wear it wherever they feel unsafe: in crowds, in places where people gather, at public service offices and chiefly on public transport.”

As regards flu vaccination, he said, “There is some activity, but it is not what we expected. It is not what we achieved in other years and we believe that this is due to people suffering from vaccine fatigue. That is to say, people hear the word vaccination and have a negative reaction, they don’t want to do it precisely because of the repeated vaccinations for Covid.”

Official Covid new cases for 21-27 November
Covd infections are less troublesome than flu at present, according to Professor Tzanakis of the University of Crete. However, there are still quite a large number of new cases: 43,914 for the week to 27th November, with 118 deaths. Official figures from Gov.gr

Covid produces a mild infection at present, the professor said: “At the moment the flu virus is more dangerous, it can produce more severe problems particularly among the aged and those who have problems with their immune system. Anyone who got vaccinated against flu in previous years should do it again especially this year, where we are expecting a major wave of flu which will start near Christmas and will peak in January/February. Therefore, it is very much the right year for us to get the flu vaccine.”

The deputy Health minister’s view

The deputy Health minister and pneumonologist Mina Gaga agrees with the professor: “It looks as though we will have a worse winter for respiratory infections, especially as for two years we didn’t have normal contacts and for that reason were less exposed to germs and viruses than we normally are. Our immunity has ‘dropped’.

“At the same time, as all those who are infected by the coronavirus are more vulnerable for a while, it’s obvious that they may get a bit sicker with flu, or in the case of children, with a respiratory virus. So we are seeing quite a few infections, mainly in children.”

Asked if there is an interaction between flu and the coronavirus, the minister said: “What we are seeing is certainly more infections from flu and we have been seeing them since the summer. This is probably due to the fact that for two years we were wearing masks and were shut up in our houses. This meant that we had no contact with flu viruses.

“The second reason is that those who catch the coronavirus – and there are many cases, more than 50,000 a week at present – are a bit more vulnerable for a while, as always happens with respiratory infections.

“That is to say, if someone gets Covid they are more vulnerable to infection with flu and vice versa, but always after a respiratory infection until they are completely recovered.” (Haniotika Nea, 28th November)

Palaiochora immigrants update

As of Friday (25th November), the situation of the 450 or so immigrants who were towed into Palaiochora harbour on Tuesday aboard a rusty and unseaworthy trawler was continuing to pose problems for the local authorities. By Wednesday the weather had deteriorated to the point where those remaining on the trawler were obliged to abandon it and were transferred to the Samaria ferry in the tourist harbour along with the rest of their fellow passengers. However, conditions there were far from ideal, there being a lack of covered space on the ferry, which is used for tourism purposes in the summer, so that many immigrants were getting soaked in the heavy rain.

By Wednesday UNHCR had provided blankets, sleeping bags and 10 tents – the latter being erected on the quay to provide some additional shelter – and arranged the provision of daily meals for 490 people with a company in Rethymnon. However, the priority was clearly to remove the immigrants from the hostile conditions of the harbour, and to proceed with the object of getting them off the island. By this point the unrealistic demands of some of the migrants that their boat be repaired and they be allowed to continue on to Italy, seem to have been forgotten.

Interviewed by Haniotika Nea on Thursday at Palaiochora, both the Deputy Regional Governor for Chania Nikos Kalogeris and the mayor of Kandanos Selino Antonis Perrakis criticised the lack of any integrated plan for dealing with such occurrences. Mr Perrakis said: “There needs to be coordination at the levels of central government, the Cretan Regional Authority and of course the municipalities, with an organisation chart of how to react in such situations. This time it was fortunate that the ship [i.e. the Samaria] was here, because if it had not been here there is no space which would have been able to house these people.”

Appeals to Brussels

Already on Tuesday 22nd November, the minister of Migration and Asylum Notis Mitarachi had addressed an open letter to the European Commission’s vice-president Margaritis Schinas and the Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johanssen, requesting the Commission’s help in relocating the refugees. After outlining the details of the rescue operation and noting that the refugees were all safe in port, the minister went on to say:

“Greece has repeatedly drawn attention to the new modus operandi of migrant smugglers employing larger vessels and trying to cross to Europe and has stressed the point that we need to collectively act in order to prevent this type of trafficking activity that puts the lives of migrants at risk.  

 “First reception countries cannot be expected to shoulder an ever-increasing burden out of proportion to their respective capacities. Europe must prove that it is in a position to provide immediate and tangible solidarity, in far speedier timeframes and in higher numbers than the ones we have witnessed thus far.

“In light of the above, we ask the Commission to immediately undertake and coordinate a relocation initiative in response to this SAR operation, ensuring the responsibility, in saving lives at sea, is fairly shared among Member States.” 

The letter seems to have had an impact, since additional funding of 1.9 billion euros to support Greece in handling the immigrant issue was announced by vice-president Margaritis Schinas following a meeting with Mr Mitarachi in Brussels on Thursday, the day before an extraordinary meeting of the EU’s Council of Justice and Home Affairs.

Migration and Asylum minister Notis Mitarachi in Brussels, 25th November
Minister for Migration and Asylum Notis Mitarachi (second from right) at the extraordinary meeting of the EU’s Council of Justice and Home Affairs in Brussels, Friday 25th November. Photo: Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

On Friday Mr Mitarachi pursued his case at the meeting of the Council of Justice and Home Affairs, at which EU Interior ministers were due to discuss an Action Plan for the Central Mediterranean put forward by the European Commission. Addressing journalists before the meeting he said: “We have been talking for far too long about a European solution to the migration crisis. It is time for solutions, actions and results. The proposal from the Commission today is clearly on the right path. We need to find a solution for the central Mediterranean route, but we also need to ensure that the EU-Turkey joint statement of 2016 is implemented by all parties.

“In the past few years we have been talking disproportionately about the responsibilities of first line/front line states. We also need to talk about solutions to reduce the number of irregular arrivals to the European Union and for providing a mandatory solidarity mechanism so that all member states in Europe share the burden of migration in an equal way. It is not a time to fly solo, it’s time for a European solution, and I am confident that it will be a good meeting today.”

Traffickers identified and charged

In the meantime the Coastguard in Palaiochora, aided by Europol, had conducted a definitive count of the migrants and had also identified 7 Egyptians as crew members of the trawler. There were 336 men, 10 women, 128 under-age boys and 9 under-age girls on board, mainly Syrian and Egyptian with some Pakistanis, Sudanese and the Palestinians. According to the Coastguard, the passengers had each paid 3,000 to 4,000 euros to be transported to Italy. The 7 crew members were arrested and charged with the crimes of forming a gang, illegal immigration and putting human lives in danger. They were due to make an initial appearance before the court in Chania on Monday 28th November.

On Friday 25th November, more than 10 tons of fuel were pumped from the trawler for fear of pollution, while over the weekend the immigrants were taken in three groups to Souda. There they boarded the ferry for Piraeus with destination a Reception Centre near Athens, where the process of registration will be completed and those who wish to will be able to apply for asylum.

New energy subsidies for December

Following the announcement of new electricity prices by the power suppliers, the government has announced the subsidies it will be paying for households and businesses for the month of December 2022. The total amount available for subsidies for the month is 435 million euros.

Electricity – domestic tariffs

For all supplies to primary and non-primary residences, regardless of income and supplier, the scales for December are as follows:

– For monthly consumption of up to 500 kWh, which covers 90 per cent of Greek households, the subsidy is 221 euros per megawatt/hour, or 22.1 cents per kWh.

– For monthly consumption of 501 to 1,000 kWh, the subsidy is 171 euros per megawatt/hour (17.1 cents per kWh). Additionally, households which achieve a 15 per cent reduction in daily consumption compared with the same period last year will receive an additional subsidy of 50 euros per mWh.

– For monthly consumption over 1,000 kWh, the subsidy will be 81 euros per mWh.

Families who are enrolled in the Social Residential Tariff will receive a subsidy of 269 euros per mWh.

Electricity – business tariffs

For commercial consumers with supplies of up to 35KVa, who consume up to 2,000 kWh in the month, the subsidy for December will be 183 euros per mWh.

For professional and commercial consumers with supplies of up to 35kVa who consume up to 2,000 kWh, as well as all other non-domestic tariffs for low-, medium- and high-tension supplies, the subsidy will be 34 euros per mWh.

For farmers there is a flat-rate subsidy of 221 euros per mWh.

Natural gas – domestic tariffs

The national gas supplier DEPA in collaboration with the other suppliers will give a flat-rate subsidy of 15 euros per thermic mWh for all domestic consumers. The measure affects 700,000 domestic consumers regardless of income, dwelling size or supplier.

Source: www.odigostoupoliti.eu

Free firewood on Gavdos

Meanwhile, on Gavdos, the smallest municipality in the Nomos of Chania, the authorities are distributing free firewood to all the island’s residents. For the first time this year, with the permission of the forestry department, the municipality has felled a substantial number of pine trees which had dried out or were visibly in danger of falling and causing damage, or of constituting sources of flammable materials in case of fire.

The felled trees have been cut up and shared out to the island’s inhabitants for them to use as fuel in their stoves and fireplaces. The initial needs of the island’s households have already been met and there is an equvalent amount left which has been stored for distribution when the first installment runs out.

Distributing free logs to residents on Gavdos island
Photo: Municipality of Gavdos

According to an announcement on the municipality’s website: “this initiative took place in the context of a sincere effort by the municipality to promote Social Cohesion on our far-flung island, something which is growing thanks to the effect of our work as whole in the local community relative to the particular conditions which we are faced with. As the Municipality, through this initiative we have – at the least – been able to give a dynamic response to the uncontrolled energy crisis, creating in practice the warmth which as humans we are all entitled to!”

The project is being put forward as a candidate for the Innovation in Politics and other EU awards.

Source: Haniotika Nea, 18th November.

European Week for Waste Reduction

“Oh, my old man’s a dustman/He wears a dustman’s hat/He wears cor blimey trousers/And he lives in a council flat” runs the refrain of the song with which Lonnie Donegan, the “king of Skiffle” reached the top of the singles charts in Britain, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand in 1960.

Nothing could be further from the image projected by the head of DEDISA, Kostas Paterakis, in an interview on Nea TV on Tuesday 22nd November. Thoughtful and softly spoken, Mr Paterakis was talking to presenter Gogo Kallidonaki on the afternoon programme Sto Kokkino, to mark European Week for Waste Reduction 2022, which runs from 19th to 27th November.

DEDISA head Kostas Paterakis interviewed on Nea TV
Kostas Paterakis, the head of the Chania waste management organisation DEDISA, interviewed by Gogo Kallidonaki on the Nea TV programme Sto Kokkino on Tuesday 22nd November. The poster reads “Sustainable textile products – Waste is out of fashion!” Photo: NeaTV.

DEDISA (Inter-municipal Enterprise for the Management of Solid Waste) is the organisation which manages waste disposal for the municipalities of the nomos of Chania, not only at operational level but also in terms of formulating and enacting policies related to waste disposal and increasingly, recycling. It is a topic which, as became clear during their conversation, is treated with the utmost seriousness.

Asked by Gogo Kallidonaki how the year had been, he said that it has been a difficult year, more so than 2019, as it has been a good tourist year – pointing out the self-evident but little thought-of issue that more people produce more waste. However, there had been planning for the reception of larger quantities at the central Chania waste depot and improvements in waste collection, such as the introduction of electric garbage trucks in the old city of Chania.

The slogan of the European Week for Waste Reduction is “Reducing, Reusing, Recycling”, and Mr Paterakis said that in terms of reaching these goals, things are moving in the right direction; habits are changing, but a lot more needs to be done. The organisation is therefore focussing on education, with DEDISA staff visiting schools to give lectures on waste disposal and recycling, and school visits to the depot so that children can see how waste is managed.

With schoolchildren becoming better informed than their parents, coming home to lecture them on what should be recycled and what not, Mr Paterakis said that we need to be sensitive to what children have to say, as we adults often fall back into bad practices through fatigue or habit. What is needed now is a move from simple recycling to “creative recycling”, and this is an educational activity. Children need to be taught how to reuse things rather than their going in the garbage.

He firmly rebutted the idea that, as is often suggested, there is little point in sorting waste for recycling since municipalities do not recycle but simply feed the sorted materials back into in the general waste stream. Municipalities now have specific targets for waste reduction by the year 2030. [The EU, for example, has committed to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030.] DEDISA’s participation in European Week for Waste Reduction is part of this effort.

The week began with visits to schools by DEDISA staff, and a school visit to the museum devoted to sustainable practices run by the Souda Cultural Association. Pupils from a nursery school and from the Kolymbari Primary School learned about the sustainable production of yeast, hand weaving of fabrics and carpets and some other old practices which have died out.

The DEDISA head agreed with the interviewer that the current production model has left us “living in a rubbish dump” and there is a need to re-establish old customs from the time when people produced less waste. There needs to be greater awareness of regulations which have been established, especially by the EU, he said. “We hope to arrive at a point where products are long-lasting, so we don’t need to change them every year, and need less materials for their manufacture. That’s the way which I hope we will follow.”

There is also a need for extending the use of existing products by repair or adaptation, Mr Paterakis said. “Part of the European Week for Waste Reduction will be seminars on the alteration and repair of clothing by designers in Chania who specialise in that stuff. We think that will be very useful and hope the public will attend and learn how to extend the life of these items.”

Finally, DEDISA, in collaboration with its member municipalities, is running an event entitled “Chania welcomes Sustainable Fashion” which is to take place from 11.00 am to late afternoon on Sunday 27th November in Tsouderon street, outside the offices of the Orizontas Association, which provides support for cancer victims. Participants include Colour Analyst and Image Consultant Liana Peraki and selected shops in the area and the municipality of Chania.

Poster: "Chania Welcomes Sustainable Fashion"

The event is a sale of second-hand clothing and footwear. According to a press release: “The clothing and footwear which have been collected will be in excellent condition, either unworn as they have been carefully collected by clients of Ms Peraki, or from the stock of different stores. Purchases of clothing and footwear will be for a token sum, with all the proceeds going to the Orizontas Association for philanthropic purposes.”

Immigrants arrive at Palaiochora

In what must be one of the largest ever such arrivals in the area, 430 immigrants were towed into the old harbour at Palaiochora at midday on Tuesday, aboard a rusted steel trawler of 30 metres length which had lost steerage, causing the occupants of the vessel to send out a distress signal. Some 300 of the passengers were Syrians, the rest being from Egypt and Palestine, among them 50 women and 30 children. The exact numbers have yet to be established.

The overloaded ship had departed from a port in Libya with Italy as its intended destination and had been at sea for four days. Its steering having failed, it had put out a distress signal in the area south of Crete where winds of 7 Beaufort were blowing. Commercial ships sailing nearby, as well as the frigate Kanaris which had been at Souda over the weekend, went to its aid, and with the help of Coastguard vessels it was towed into Palaiochora, arriving around 2.00 pm.

On Tuesday some 150 people were transferred by bus to the ANENDYK ferry Samaria in the tourist harbour to spend the night, there being insufficient accommodation in the town. However the remainder stated that they wished to remain on the trawler, asking for the steering to be repaired so that they could continue their voyage to Italy. Talking to journalists from the ship earlier, they had said: “We thank you for your help. Thank you for saving us, but we want to go on to Italy.”

Syrian immigrants on ship at Palaichora
Syrian immigrants talk to reporters on their arrival at Palaiochora, Tuesday 22nd November. “We thank you for your help, but we want to go on to Italy,” they said. Photo: Haniotika Nea

Talking to journalists, the mayor of Kandanos-Selino Antonis Perrakis said that there was no hall big enough to house so many people in the area, but the municipality was helping by providing water, croissants and blankets, while it was preparing a meal of chicken and rice for them for Tuesday evening.

Help was also being provided by volunteers from the Civil Protection Service of Selino and the Kissamos Red Cross. Doctors, nurses and the ambulance of the Kandanos Health Centre were also on hand, together with the Centre’s Director Eftychis Aligizakis, providing first aid to three of the immigrants who were unwell. Another two – a diabetic and one with a head wound, were taken to the Chania Hospital for treatment. “It’s the first time we have had such a large number of immigrants, we never had more than 100 people before,” Mr Aligizakis said.

Volunteeers bring food to the ship at Palaiochora
Offering assistance to the new arrivals were two immigrant women who live permanently in the area. After enquiring what was neeeded, they went to a local supermarket and bought bags of bread and milk, which they handed over to the volunteers for delivery to the ship. Photo: Haniotika Nea.

“The ship’s engines were working but the steering was not. They were originally going to take it to Palaiochora Harbour, but since the entrance is narrow and there was a heavy sea, the Coastguard was right to take them to the Skala [the old harbour], since with so many people on board there was a danger of it hitting the reefs in the channel and the people drowning inside the harbour,” said Antonis Bitsakis who had accompanied the trawler with his vessel Thalassolykos [Sea Wolf].

In a statement, the Shipping minister Giannis Plakiotakis said: “The Coastguard has once more showed not only the level of its capacities, but that it sees the saving of human lives as a priority of its mission.” He congratulated the Coastguard for planning and executing the rescue operation under adverse weather conditions.

On Wednesday, UNHCR stated that it was taking over the feeding of the refugees as from that day, and the necessary equipment was being transported to Palaiochora for that purpose. Also on Wednesday it was reported that the diabetic, a youth of 15 years, had been taken to the children’s unit of PAGNI in Heraklion for treatment.

More photos and a video of the immigrants can be seen on the Haniotika Nea website.

Baby seal travels from Crete to Athens

A 10-day-old baby seal which was found at the beginning of November on a beach in Sitia has travelled to Athens to be taken care of by the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal (MOm) until it is old enough to be released back into its natural environment. The Coastguards, who located the seal after calls from the public, immediately communicated with the organisation to receive instructions on how to keep the animal safe, and it then travelled via Blue Star ferry from Heraklion to Piraeus, where MOm’s Rescue Team picked it up to take it to the Rehabilitation Centre which is housed in the Attica Zoological Park in Spata. MOm has been caring for sick and orphaned seals since 1990. (Haniotika Nea 19th October.)

Baby seal Minoas at MOm Rehabilitation Centre in Attica

This baby seal, christened Minoas, was found separated from his mother on a beach in Sitia early this month and taken to the MOm Rehabilitation Centre in Attica. Photo: APE-MPE.

In an interview with APE-MPE, MOm biologist Eleni Tounta said:

“This year we have had two babies. Hermes was found in October at Pili in Evia and now in November we have got Minoas from Sitia in Crete. Both of them are babies, at this age they should be nursing with their mother but they were swept away by storms and they were sick. We are treating them with drugs, in consultation with the responsible vet, and we hope that after the three months they will spend here, we will release them again into their natural environment, as we do each time.”

The baby seals are housed in a specially equipped area with a swimming pool where they are monitored by a vet and looked after daily by trained MOm staff. As Ms Tounta explained: “Since the seals are at an age where they would be nursed by their mothers, we are feeding them now with puréed fish with the necessary vitamins, until they pass to the next stage, where we will give them whole fish to eat. Once they reach the required weight, around 60 kilos, and have learned to eat fish, we will set them free. ” A video of the interview and of the young seals being looked after by MOm staff can be seen on YouTube.

Seals are wild animals, and when they approach beaches and harbours it is extremely important for their own wellbeing that people should avoid contact with them. If they find a seal, the public are advised to stay away from it, to not try to touch it and obviously, not to feed it. If they think that the animal has some problem. they are advised to immediately contact the local Coastguard and MOm (+30 210 522 2888).

History and distribution

The Mediterranean Monk Seal is described as one of the most endangered species in the world. Widespread throughout the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Atlantic coast of North Africa from Classical times, the population has shrunk over the centuries as a result of hunting for their fur and flesh (in Roman times), killing by fishermen who see them as competitors, destruction of habitat and the pressures of modern tourist development. The worldwide population is now thought to amount to some 600.

Map of monk seal distribution
Historic and present distribution of the monk seal.

Formerly gregarious, monk seals now tend to be solitary, giving birth in sea caves which are difficult of access, their only entrance being often under water. This in itself will present a threat to their survival if sea levels rise because of global warming.

Apart from isolated colonies on the North African coast and the Madeira archipelago, the main concentration of surviving seals is in the eastern Mediterraean, mainly in the Ionian and Aegean Seas in Greece and along the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey. Recently, sightings of individual monk seals have been recorded in Israel, Libya, Cyprus, Croatia and Italy.

According to cretanbeaches.com, in Crete the seals nest almost all over the island. Areas where they are known to live include Skaleta (Rethymnon), the islands of Koufonisi and Gavdos, the Sfakia area, the peninsula and islands of Gramvousa, Chrissi island, Cape Drapanos in Apokoronas, Xerokambos (Lasithi) and the shores south of the Asterousia Mountains (Heraklion).

The MOm website has information in English about the monk seal, including ways in which the public can help in the species’ protection.