Tzoumerka: Water level fell 10 meters at the dam of Purnari – The houses of a submerged settlement were revealed

43 years ago Purnari was created in , with the waters of the Arachthos river “suffering” the village of Fagos of the village of Kato Calentin. Now and because of the prolonged drought, the waters of the artificial lake retreated revealing the houses that sank under the water. On Arta – Trikala highway, the road that crosses the central Tzoumerka, after the village Melates the old settlement Fagos is revealed. The landscape encapsulates the visitor. With the eye one realizes that the water level has retreated by many meters to the dam lake. Absolute silence. Ruins of stone houses and school dipped in mud. Tree trunks and roots that lasted time and water look like fossils. The bottom in many places is completely dry. The level of artificial Lake Purnari, due to drought, has dropped at least 10 meters, residents at the area’s coffee shop report to the RES-AE. This is the first time this has happened, they say and point out that it hasn’t rained in months since last April. In fact, Mr. Thomas explains to us that the waters covered the two-seat school, which now appeared again, to remind them nostalgicly in childhood, when his classrooms were flooded by 120 students. The older ones look at their demolished houses in the mudwaters and memories come alive. Mrs. Athena lives right above the street and every day, she looks up at her neighborhood, the place where she grew up. As he reports in the settlement there were seven shops, there was life, many families lived. He remembers the days they left their homes in the early 1980s, to start their lives at higher points. The water of the dam then wiped out their place. Lake Purnari, covers an area of 18.3 square kilometres and is a result of the construction of the homonymous hydroelectric dam on the Arachthos river, near Peta. The lake created a wonderful artificial ecosystem in the area, with great fish fauna and birdfowl. In the waters of the lake we find among others, carp, oysters, wild trout, eels. The area is a refuge for many birds, such as bats, green-headed ducks, alkyones, bald-headed seagulls, and river whistle-blowers. The tour of the area impresses the visitor, all seasons. Lower Calentin, is a picturesque lake village immersed in nature’s green, within plane trees and limps. Source: RES – ICM