Improving the Impact of Odour Nuisance in Thessaloniki: a Stakeholder Engagement Approach

Abstract

Nowadays, it is widely acknowledged that the problem of odour pollution is extremely important and requires immediate action. The problem is high also at European Union’s political agenda, which highlights the issue of odours at European level and seeks to apply innovative tools, such as direct citizen participation and education, modelling and mapping tools, in order to tackle the problem and propose a related legislative framework and establish rules for controlling and reducing odour disturbances.In this context, a key feature is the creation of an exchange of views to inform and understand the nature of odour incidents, with the joint involvement of authorities, citizens, universities and odour producers, with the aim of exploring mutually acceptable solutions.To the best of our knowledge, there are very few studies that deal with the issue of odour nuisance, even less that focus on the western part of the city of Thessaloniki. The treatment of odour annoyance associated with industrial and other activities in the area of Dendropotamos, Menemeni, Kalochori is considered as an appropriate case for the implementation of this study. The combination of the odour issue and at the same time the environmental impact on the area make this case extremely interesting.The current study aims at proposing a methodology that is based on Citizen Science and stakeholder engagement, which provides for active participation in scientific endeavours that generate new knowledge or perceptions. The proposed approach is part of the methodology initiated by the European Commission Horizon 2020 Project D-NOSES. The main objective of the study is to understand the problem and through stakeholder engagement and the active involvement of as many parties as possible, who are affected by the problem, to improve the impact of odours in the area. Training seminars, bilateral interviews and discussions assisted in developing a common understanding and goals, while an electronic application, the Odour Collect, developed for this purpose can report 'real-time' odour incidents and give them qualitative features. The results from the case study of Thessaloniki are presented in this paper and could further assist decision makers and key player to propose measures for improving the current situation.Key words: Odour Nuisance; Odour; Citizen Science; Stakeholder Engagement; Stakeholders Consultation; Participatory Approach; Statistical Analysis; Thessal