“This year’s 45 -day extension was deemed sufficient, given the April climatic conditions”
‘No further extension will be given to cleaning the plots, The deadline of which permanently expires on Sunday, June 15“, Underlined the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Giannis Kefalogiannis, In an interview he gave today to Real Fm.
Mr. Kefalogiannis referred extensively to the prevention measures for the firefighting period and the obligations of citizens and municipalities In the cleaning of plots And he stressed that this year’s 45 -day extension was deemed sufficient, given the April climatic conditions, and will not be repeated.
As he said, on Monday, June 16th, systematic controls are initiated by both the Fire and the Municipalities, with the imposition of administrative sanctions where negligence is found, and in the case of false declaration there are also criminal consequences.
Mr Kefalogiannis pointed out that citizens are not sufficient to clean their plots, but are obliged to remove the product of cleaning (branches, dry grass, etc.) to the points indicated by municipalities. “It is by no means the obligation of the municipalities to collect these residues, except to determine their points of deposit.”he noted. The minister clarified that the responsibility for maintaining a clean plot is valid throughout the firefighting period and not just a lump sum, after the initial cleaning statement.
About the gross plotshe emphasized that this is one of the main reasons for the spread of fires, and is often the starting point of fire. On the contrary, as he pointed out, the cleaned plots show minimal or no damage, even when fire passes through the area, as it turned out in cases of major fires last year.
The minister made special reference to the responsibility of the municipalities to control their municipal plots and to define clear points of transport of the cleaned materials, and acknowledged that in some cases there is a deficit in the briefing on the part of the municipal authorities. He also noted that this year’s funding to municipalities for cleaning actions increased from 31 to 40 million euros.
As for the main causes of fires, Mr Kefalogiannis stressed that in addition to human negligence, which is still the most common cause, there are incidents of fires and due to the aged electricity transport network. He referred to DEDDIE’s efforts to underground the network at critical points such as Ymittos, Parnitha and Penteli, but also to the cleaning that has already been carried out around pillars, covering about 200 kilometers this year.
Finally, the minister emphasized that the issue of prevention over fires is not only a matter of state care but also of individual responsibility, as every citizen must help protect life, property and the natural environment. “Individual responsibility is not to convey some weight to the citizen, but having my plot, my property, which at the end of the day protect my own property, I think, is a responsibility that everyone must have,” he said.