Kifisos River Basin, Attica, Greece

Springing from the Penteli and Parnitha mountains, the river Kifisos is the longest river in Athens and cuts across the capital city and suburbs before meeting the Saronic Gulf. The river takes its name from the river God who presided over this largest of rivers which was the source of life for the vast, fertile athenian plain and is responsible for bringing wealth and prosperityto Attic and to Athens, only to have much of its beauty lost over time from repeated abuse from human factors such as waste dumping, construction works, fires etc.

Despite these issues, the resilience of the great river provides a home to vital flora and fauna, feeding the surrounding area with oxygen and regulating temperatures in the region. The part of the river stretching up to Metamorphosi enjoys ferns, eucalyptus, berry bushes, reeds and massive plane trees in addition to be home to from, turtles and even some fish.

In what is now deemed to have been a large error in judgment, a section of the Kifisos had been covered to facilitate the construction of roads and, partly, to eliminate the bad smell emanating as a result of waste pollution. This covering the river and regulation of the watercourse has created a number of environmental issues in the area over time which are now being addressed.