Greece Reveals €2.5 Billion Water Supply Security Plan Amid Increasing Drought
Greece plans to invest €2.5 billion over 30 years to modernize water systems, fight drought, and ensure long-term availability to water.
As the nation struggles with a protracted drought and increasing strain on diminishing supplies, Environment Minister Stavros Papastravrou revealed Thursday that Greece has set aside €2.5 billion ($2.92 billion) for investments to protect its water resources over the next 30 years.
Speaking at a gathering in Athens, Papastravrou issued a warning, stating that Greece is experiencing the second-highest level of water stress in southern Europe, behind Cyprus, and that Athens and Thessaloniki, the country’s two major cities, are predicted to be the most severely affected.
According to him, Greece will experience the second-highest level of water stress in southern Europe, after Cyprus.
Scientists attribute the country’s sweltering summers and dry winters in recent years to rapid climate change. The country uses about 10 billion cubic meters of water yearly. Nearly half of the 10 million people who live in the country are supplied by a large reservoir in central Greece, which has now fallen to its lowest level in decades.
Papastravrou claims that since 2022, Greece’s yearly water reserves have decreased by roughly 250 million cubic meters, while rainfall has decreased by 25%, evaporation has increased by 15%, and water usage has increased by 6%.
In order to tackle the escalating situation, the minister presented a seven-point plan that emphasized fortifying the country’s water infrastructure. The strategy calls for drilling new wells, extending desalination operations, and channeling water from two streams to a reservoir in western Greece via tunnels in order to provide Athens and other cities with an adequate supply of water.
Greece’s two biggest water utilities, EYDAP and EYATH, will assume control of the irrigation grid currently run by smaller local governments as part of larger changes. Modernizing the nation’s disjointed water management system and reducing the massive losses brought on by leaking pipes are the goals of the action.
According to Papastravrou, “Our losses stand at 50%, while Singapore and Israel are reusing every single drop twice or three times.”
He went on to say that the European Commission will also provide Greece with technical assistance in carrying out the ambitious long-term plan, which he said is essential to guaranteeing future generations have sustainable access to water.
