Severe weather front Daniel in Greece: Questions about construction projects in Pinios and Pelion

Questions regarding the quality of infrastructure projects delivered by the construction company INTERKAT in Trikala and Magnesia arise after the passing of severe weather front Daniel.

“Afoi Papaioannou AETEVE INTERKAT” belongs to the candidate for mayor of Lamia Mr. Panourgias Papaioannou and his brother Mr. Michalis Papaioannou. And as it appears from documents that have seen the light of government budget site “Diaygeia” it undertook the execution of damage restoration projects in the Pinios River in the Regional Unit of Trikala and rural road improvement projects in South Pelion.

It should be noted that the judicial investigation is ongoing for any responsibilities in dealing with the bad weather, but the government has also announced the investigation of any bad techniques in infrastructure projects.

However, the projects undertaken by INTERKAT were either not able to prevent the overflowing of Pinios, or collapsed like in South Pelion roadway due to the torrential downpour of Daniel.

As far as Pinios is concerned, the company undertook three flood damage restoration projects in the river with its waters remaining unrestrained despite INTERKAT’s successive constructions.

Pinios

The technical company of the Papaioannou brothers undertook with three contracts in 2017, 2019 and 2021 the restoration of damages in parts of the Pinios Potamos in the Trikala Regional Unit.

Similar competitions of the Region of Thessaly had preceded it.

More specifically, on September 20, 2017, INTERCAT signed a contract with the Region of Thessaly for the execution of a project related to the “restoration of damages caused by intense flooding phenomena on September 7 to 10, 2016 and projects for the flood protection of the Pinios River in the Trikala Regional Unit”.

The project budget is 3.9 million euros and the company won the tender with a discount of 65.3%, i.e. offering 1,091,269.18 euros without VAT. The obligation to deliver the project is within 15 months from the signing of the contract.

On January 30, 2019, the same company again undertook for 2,556,171.12 million euros without VAT, the project of the Region of Thessaly with a budget of 10 million euros for the “restoration of damages caused by severe flooding in the Trikala Regional Unit from 15 until November 17, 2017 – Flood Protection – Cleaning of the riverbed of the Pinios river within the limits of the Trikala Regional Unit”.

The company of the Papaioannou brothers won the project with a discount of 68.30%, while it had the obligation to deliver the project in 12 months from the signing of the contract.

On March 1, 2021, INTERKAT again won with a discount of 67.93% a project of the Region of Thessaly in the amount of 15 million euros, which related to: “Restoration of damage caused by severe flooding phenomena in P.E. Trikala on 24-25/11/2019 and 9/12/2019 Flood protection – Completion of bed cleaning in the Pinios river”.

The company’s offer amounted to 4,810,834.63 euros including VAT and its obligation to perform was in 24 months from the date of signing the contract. In other words, INTERKAT was paid more than 10 million euros for flood protection projects in Pinios in Trikala, and while the river from 2016 to 2019, as it turns out, flooded again and again. And of course these projects were apparently not able to limit the flooding effects of the bad weather Daniel.

South Pelion

INTERKAT on December 16, 2022 took over another project from the municipality of South Pelion.

He won a tender for 5,696,044.78 euros plus VAT for the improvement of rural roads in South Pelion with an obligation to deliver in 12 months.

The damage to the roads in the area caused by Daniel’s deluge raises questions about whether INTERKAT’s projects met the specifications in terms of durability and whether they were ultimately technically sound.