"The carps aren't biting today; I have been standing here for hours, but I didn't catch any. You wouldn't believe what a great meal they make, cooked with some potatoes and onions. It is like stew, delicious. Anyway, I won't leave empty-handed, I got some butterflyfish, and I hope they are enough for a decent meal for my family".

The Public Power Corporation damaged the region 

This young man, fishing in Vegoritida Lake doesn't sell his catch. The fish is barely enough to feed his family. He looks at the Kaimaktsalan Mountain, standing imposingly behind the lake and says under his breath: "There are other lakes on the mountains. Waters from many different springs end up there. The trout there are big and red, just like salmons. Here in Vegoritida though, there are no trouts, because these fish need cold and clean waters to live in".

As the sun is starting to set and the lake is engulfed in magical colors, the young man mumbles to himself: "Is there a human being in the world who doesn't like this magical environment? It's 20 kilometres long and has a depth of 70 meters... I wonder why people are destroying this lake. It is said that many fish died because of the black dust coming from the factory of Public Power Corporation, and then the birds followed. The residents here don't complain about this catastrophe because many of them work at this factory. I don't blame them, because there is no other way for them to live a decent life here in the borderland".

Many to blame

Apart from the enormous smokestacks of the supposedly charitable Public Power Corporation, polluting the air and harming the people and the waters of this acritic paradise, there are many other factors responsible for the downgrading of the lake and the environment in general, among which the greedy huntsmen and those who use the sea jets, that annoy the birds and fish.

The ecosystem has also been harmed by illegal fishermen. The greater harm though is caused by the urban area's citizens, who indulgently consume electric energy, indifferent to its sinful origin.
TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

MORE PHOTOS

The jet skis disrupt the fish and the birds.

Many of them find shelter in the lake's reeds.

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