Greece will spend EUR 2.5 billion on the fight for water. “We should be ready for the worst-case scenarios”

Greece announced on Thursday a plan to combat the threat of water shortage worth EUR 2.5 billion. It is to be implemented primarily in Athens and the surrounding area and on some islands.

– We should be ready for the worst-case scenarios, said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakisreferring to the droughts that have hit the country in recent years and the increasingly difficult climatic conditions.

– It may snow, it may rain, (…) but hope is not a strategy – he added.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of one of the most important public water supply companies, Eydap, Minister of Energy and Environment Stavros Papastawru presented an “ambitious plan worth EUR 2.5 billion” that would provide water sources within 10 years.

The plan provides project to strengthen water reservoirs supplying Athens' water supply networkas well as water desalination installations on islands visited by tourists that suffer from water shortage.

According to the minister Athens' water reserves are 'at their lowest level in several years'. He also noted that “data indicate that after Cyprus, our country will face the most serious water deficit in Southern Europe.. According to him, up to half of the country's population may suffer from this.

Papastawru noted that since 2022, Greece's water reserves have decreased annually by 250 million cubic meters. This phenomenon was accompanied by a 25% decrease in rainfall and an annual increase in evaporation by 15%.

During the long heatwave of 2024, Eydap appealed to the people of Athens and the surrounding area paying close attention to water consumption. Appeals to sensitize the population to this problem were broadcast daily in the media and on social media.(PAP)

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