The €2.5 billion plan against water scarcity: Seven pillars of intervention with investments, projects, and organizational reforms

A bold €2.5 cardinal concern program to combat h2o scarcity and guarantee the semipermanent h2o information of Attica was presented by Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou during the lawsuit marking 100 years of EYDAP.

As the curate emphasized, this program is not a prime but a necessity, an indispensable effect to a rapidly changing world caused by the climate crisis. Greece is already facing superior unit connected its h2o reserves, with Attica among the astir susceptible areas successful the Mediterranean.

At the bosom of the program lies the Euritus Project, which, according to Papastavrou, volition support Attica’s h2o resources for the adjacent 3 decades. This strategical task includes the partial diversion of the Krikeliotis and Karpenisiotis rivers, expected to beryllium completed by 2029, precisely a period aft the Marathon Dam was built.

In the abbreviated term, actions are besides being taken to fortify h2o proviso done the usage of boreholes successful areas specified arsenic Mavrosouvala and Ouggron, which are expected to lend astir 150 cardinal cubic meters of h2o annually.

Seven Strategic Pillars

The Ministry’s strategy is based connected seven cardinal pillars, aligned with European directives, which include:

• Strengthening h2o proviso infrastructure
• Upgrading monitoring and h2o conservation systems
• Completing wastewater and h2o reuse projects
• Expanding practice betwixt the public and backstage sectors for large-scale projects
• Improving irrigation systems and reducing web losses
• Streamlining h2o absorption authorities
• Promoting innovation and sustainability successful the sector

Two Strong Water Management Pillars

Papastavrou announced the instauration of two beardown pillars for nationalist h2o management:

• EYDAP successful Attica
• EYATH successful Thessaloniki

For the archetypal time, these organizations volition besides widen their relation into irrigation management.

He noted that the existent fragmentation of h2o providers cannot proceed — Greece presently has implicit 740 abstracted h2o and irrigation organizations, starring to assets nonaccomplishment and unequal work provision.

Under the caller plan, EYDAP and EYATH volition go the main operational hubs for mainland Greece, expanding their sum beyond Athens and Thessaloniki, portion the Interior Ministry volition oversee the restructuring of 110 municipal h2o companies (DEYAs) that person not been adequately supported truthful far.

Projects connected the Islands and Institutional Reforms

Across the islands, 150 projects worthy implicit €320 million are already underway successful more than 40 land regions, prioritizing reducing h2o losses successful networks.

At the aforesaid time, institutional reforms are advancing, including:

• Simplifying authorities for nationalist h2o and sewerage enterprises
• Strengthening the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy, and Water
• Creating a unified governance framework to guarantee transparency, speed, and ratio crossed each water-related entities.

Greece Among the Most Water-Stressed Countries

Papastavrou warned that Greece ranks 19th globally successful h2o scarcity risk, with Attica astatine the epicenter of the crisis. Water reservoir levels are decreasing by astir 250 cardinal cubic meters per year, rainfall has dropped by 25%, and evaporation has risen by 15%.

“The clime situation is not a menace of the aboriginal – it is simply a world we are already experiencing,” the curate said, emphasizing that this caller concern programme is “the strongest warrant for the h2o of aboriginal generations.”

A New Era for EYDAP

In closing, Papastavrou highlighted that EYDAP is simply a national asset, playing a decisive relation successful the caller epoch of sustainable growth:

“With the enactment of the state, EYDAP volition proceed to service citizens, put successful technology, and acceptable an illustration of sustainable h2o absorption successful Europe. The clip for enactment is now,” helium stated.