Leros mayor Timotheos Kottakis presented two major interventions in a statement to Leros News: resolving the long-running environmental problem at Xerokampos after a recent fire at the waste site, and securing two rural road projects worth about EUR 1.5 million.
Fire brought a long-standing waste problem back into focus
Mr Kottakis said the Fire Service would determine the exact cause of the blaze. He linked the incident to the large quantity of waste remaining in the area and said Xerokampos had endured the consequences of waste management decisions for decades.
Referring to his previous term as mayor from 2003 to 2010, he said the municipality had delivered a mature project file for a sanitary landfill, together with 15 permits. He claimed that the administration led by Michalis Kolias did not proceed with the original project and, although funding for a residual-waste landfill was secured in 2018, did not put that scheme out to tender either.
According to Mr Kottakis, the present municipal authority found a 2023 environment ministry document referring to about 15,000 tonnes of waste in an unlicensed location and requiring it to be transported to Crete at the municipality's expense.
He said the regional solid waste management authority had now put the residual-waste landfill project out to tender and that work was progressing.
EUR 936,000 for burial, closure and restoration
The mayor said the municipal authority had informed the public prosecutor and the regional environmental service as soon as it took office. An inspection followed, and the municipality carried out the measures it was instructed to complete.
The next step was a EUR 936,000 project funded by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. Baled waste would be covered with inert material and soil, the site would be closed and trees would then be planted in accordance with an environmental study and public health rules.
The tender was expected by the end of July or in the first days of August.
Mr Kottakis offered what he called a major apology, on behalf of the municipality over time, to residents of Xerokampos. He said it was a matter of days before burial with inert material was completed, thanked residents for their patience and expressed hope that no similar incident would occur before final restoration.
Two rural road projects worth about EUR 1.5 million
After 18 months of procedures and project preparation, the municipality had secured about EUR 1.5 million for two rural road schemes, the mayor said.
The plans included concrete road surfaces, widening where possible, related engineering works and lighting powered by photovoltaic systems.
The first route was to begin at Agios Isidoros, run towards Agios Nikolaos and continue to Memigkaria near the wind farm, before joining the main road at Kamara. Its estimated length was about 5.8 kilometres.
The second route was to begin near a hotel in Alinda, pass below Kleidi and meet the ring road at Faneromeni. The new connection would serve as a second peripheral route, with views towards Agia Marina Bay and the castle.
The municipal authority linked the projects to safer access for residents, producers and visitors, as well as the promotion of less familiar parts of Leros.
Mr Kottakis thanked the political leadership of the Ministry of Rural Development and attributed the projects' approval to the completeness of the submitted files.
Tenders as the next step
The road tenders were expected towards the end of July. At Xerokampos, the priority remained the safe covering of the waste, while the aim for the rural roads was to turn the funding rapidly into practical improvements for residents and producers.
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