Underground caves used as dumping sites for waste

Speleologist Stefanos Nikolaidis, soon earlier descending into the interior of the cave astatine Agios Ioannis, successful the municipality of Monemvasia (left). Speleologists stand extracurricular the cave astatine Agios Nikolaos, successful Voies, Laconia (right).

Underground caves and gorges person not been spared waste dumping. On the contrary. The Crete-based Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research has recovered astatine slightest 130 cases of waste dumping successful caves and canyons, and its probe is not implicit yet.

Caves are very convenient for municipalities to fell their waste and rubble, and they don’t attraction that they destruct some unique geological formations, galore of them with archaeological findings and some astonishing biodiversity. Some of these person been destroyed oregon severely damaged. Furthermore, underground waters are poisoned arsenic waste seeps into them.

With its constricted resources, the institute decided to wide up 4 caves and gorges, three adjacent Monemvasia, successful the Peloponnese, and 1 successful Delphi, cardinal Greece. Both municipalities pull important numbers of visitors. Both gave misleading accusation arsenic to the grade of the problem.