Athens Water Company Boss Warns Reservoirs Risk Drying Up Without Action
Source: Balkan Insight
Falling water levels in reservoirs that supply the Attica region, which includes the Greek capital, must be tackled as a matter of urgency due to a prolonged drought, the head of the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company, EYDAP told BIRN.
While conceding that there is no water shortage currently in Attica, as is the case in many Greek islands, EYDAP’s president Giorgos Stergiou, told BIRN: “We have had long enough to plan ways to deal with the prolonged drought in Attica, depending on the different scenarios.”
Greece’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy on August 27 announced that in collaboration with EYDAP, it has prepared a ‘road map’ to be implemented within four years to secure Attica’s water supply.
In the last two years, reserves in Attica have dropped from 1.158,million cubic metres in August 2022 to 703,339 million cubic metres today, an average loss of about 225 million cubic metres per year.
“Because the level in the reservoirs has dropped, as much as possible we have to ensure the rational and optimal treatment of water resources, to ensure the uninterrupted… supply of very high-quality drinking water for the Attica basin, for as long as is necessary or at least until climatic conditions change for the better,” Stergiou said.
The ministry said that it “will choose the best solutions that are realistic to implement”.
Solutions include the reduction of losses in the water supply networks, the partial diversion of water from rivers that end up in the artificial lake at Kremasta, new reservoirs, use of recycled water for irrigation and industry, the enrichment of underground aquifers with recycled water, better stormwater management, desalination and using green energy resources.
But all these solutions involve high initial investment costs or high operating costs, Stergiou warned.
“In any case, a long-term project has to be done, as the issue of climate change will not end tomorrow; the issue is how fast you have to do it and what costs you are willing to take,” he said.
In the meantime, EYDAP has implemented various measures to conserve water, either through the activation of boreholes or the reactivation of Yliki Lake, an important source of drinking water for Attica, Stergiou noted.
At the same time, the construction of a treatment centre of sediment in eastern Attica, where an agricultural network is being developed for the Mesogieon plain, is underway.
The revival of Hadrian’s aqueduct, which was built 2,000 years ago and is still operational, will also help to meet irrigation and gardening needs in eight municipalities of Attica. Chalandri municipality already uses it.
EYDAP is also implementing a large investment programme that will gradually replace aging pipelines to reduce leaks; it has already replaced mechanical meters with digital ones to offer a real-time consumption picture and timely notification of leaks to consumers.
“We are also running a public awareness campaign to reduce the consumption of potable water in cases such as when we shave or wash balconies or cars, etc. This is a quantity of water that… is wasted. Obviously, it will not solve the problem. However, it can affect consumption,” Stergiou said.
The original article: belongs to Balkan Insight .
