Ilia: Alfeios River Swells, Pyrgos and Olympia on Alert

Authorities in Ilia are on high alert as the Alfeios River swells dangerously, prompting emergency readiness in the municipalities of Pyrgos, Ancient Olympia, and Andritsaina-Krestena. Concern centers on floodwaters descending from Arcadia into Ilia, with the Alfeios rising significantly upstream—particularly along the stretch from the Ladon River onward. Late Monday afternoon (02/02/2026), a Civil Protection team from Pyrgos Municipality inspected the Alfeios bridge to assess conditions and implement preventive measures against potential overflow and flooding. Kiki Dionysopoulou, Head of Pyrgos Civil Protection, told ilialive.gr that immediate action was taken to ensure river waters remain within their channel at least until morning: “We carried out a minor intervention to guarantee the river won’t breach its banks or enter drainage ditches and flood nearby areas overnight. Tomorrow, we’ll decide on further steps.” She emphasized that conditions will be reassessed following forecasts of intense weather expected Thursday. Past experience—including severe flooding in 2012—drives current precautionary efforts: “Because we’ve lived through this before, we’ve taken temporary measures to prevent a worst-case scenario—reinforcing the riverbank to stop water entering the canals.” Ongoing monitoring will guide future decisions, adapting to real-time river levels and weather developments to safeguard communities along the Alfeios.