Meeting with the mayor of Thessaloniki

The public taps, anti-flooding and generally important technical works of the city that are directly related to the quality of life of the Thessalonians were on the agenda of the first meeting of the new mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, with the administration of EYATH at its renovated offices at Egnatia St. 127.

On the part of EYATH, the president Agis Papadopoulos, the managing director Anthimos Amanatidis and the vice-president Grigoris Penelis informed the mayor about the progress of the works in Kapani, where EYATH, as part of the municipality’s regeneration projects, has undertaken to replace at its own expense the old water supply and sewerage networks. As Mr. Angeloudis, who was accompanied by Maria Zourna, director of Sustainable Mobility and Networks of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, was informed, the new phase of work will begin at the beginning of March, after the completion of the network replacements in the Vlali market section in the previous period.

“We look forward to a fruitful and constructive cooperation with EYATH, in order to seek and jointly promote solutions to a series of open issues concerning the orderly operation of the city and the upgrading of the citizens’ everyday life. We claim the self-evident, to make Thessaloniki sustainable and resilient, a modern city that successfully responds to the increased challenges of climate change”, noted Mr. Angeloudis. At the same time, A. Papadopoulos also expressed EYATH’s desire “to cooperate in all initiatives related to strengthening the resilience and sustainability of the city, which is also a strategic goal of the company itself”.

For the major issue of public taps and the access of the Thessalonians to clean drinking water in public areas in the midst of a climate crisis, it was agreed that EYATH should come back with its plan to change the taps in Nea Paralia, which did not happen with the previous administration.

“It makes no sense that our fellow citizens should not have functioning taps and clean drinking water on their walk to Nea Paralia, under these climatic conditions. It is not only our obligation based on European mandates, it is also a matter of protecting our environment from waste and single-use plastics”, pointed out the managing director of EYATH, Anthimos Amanatidis. It was also agreed to expand the public taps project geographically, with the restoration of the fountains in the Upper Town as well. “EYATH intends to undertake the restoration of the operation of the hydraulic mechanisms, while the overall restoration will be done in consultation with the Municipality of Thessaloniki and the Ephorate of Antiquities”, noted Mr. Amanatidis.

The discussion was also detailed on the flood protection projects within the city in areas that systematically face problems (Agii Pantes, Vardariou Square, Port, Royal Theater and White Tower), a matter for which close cooperation was agreed between the two sides within the framework of their responsibilities , in order to find the best solutions for the city. Cooperation was also agreed on other technical issues of common interest, such as the preparation of reconstruction studies involving networks, rainwater drainage, etc.

 

From the left, G. Penelis, vice president of EYATH, A. Amanatidis, managing director, S. Angeloudis, A. Papadopoulos, president of EYATH, and M. Zourna, director of Sustainable Mobility and Networks of the Municipality of Thessaloniki

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