The regional capital Ioannina to the west and the town of Perama to the north are urban settlements fringing the lake while the remaining of its periphery is composed of farmland.

[2] The small inhabited Ioannina Island, where Ali Pasha was hiding during the last days of his reign, is situated near the northern shore.

Urbanisation and pollution are threatening the lake ecosystem, home to small mammals, waterbirds and a rich fish and crustacean fauna.

As revealed by the results, the lake is impaired by pollutants from sewage, which significantly exceed permissible limits.

According to what was said by the Head of State General Laboratory Department of Ioannina Anastasios Tsongas, the effluent is the same quality as those that led to biological treatment, with the difference being that these were channeled directly to the lake.