Dry Season, Dry Policies: Greece and the Fight for Water
Dear Member,
This is our weekly roundup from Greece.
This week’s focus is on the escalating drought crisis in Greece. Τhe data clearly shows that drought conditions are worsening, putting increasing pressure on both natural resources and public infrastructure.
The government announced a framework for emergency measures; however, it appears to fall short of offering real solutions as it relies on budgetary calculations rather than rethinking the whole policy and financial model. It also potentially opens the door to increased private sector involvement in water management.
Experts are raising critical voices, proposing more sustainable approaches.
A crisis foretold
A large portion of Greece’s population may face severe water shortages within the next three years unless urgent investments are made and policies are implemented to develop alternative water sources and improve water management systems, according to reports note (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)d this week.
It’s no secret: Worsening climate conditions, marked by prolonged droughts, heatwaves, and low rainfall, are straining water supplies, especially during the summer months when tourism increases demand. Although Athens and Thessaloniki are not yet experiencing shortages, authorities are evaluating measures to stabilise reserves and ensure long-term sustainability.
In rural areas, excessive and often unregulated irrigation use is a major concern. According to a study by the National Technical University of Athens, Greek agriculture has not adapted to modern efficiency standards. Irrigation consumes around 85% of the country’s water, compared to 13% for households and 2% for industry. More efficient irrigation systems and climate-appropriate crops could significantly reduce this burden.
Island regions are especially vulnerable, with water demand in the summer sometimes reaching up to 30 times the annual average. Limited groundwater resources are often overexploited, leading to seawater intrusion and degraded water quality. Fragile island soils also contribute to water loss through erosion and sedimentation in reservoirs.
The problem on the islands is only exacerbated by the vast amounts of water diverted to the numerous pools, also to irrigate the grass on luxury resorts (grass is quite limited in Greece due to its dry and hot climate). A private pool needs (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) 150 cubic metres on average per year, so do the maths. There are more than (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) 1,200 pools in Paros, while tiny Antiparos, with 1,629, rivals the bigger islands of Ios, Sifnos, and Serifos.
Government reveals unclear roadmap to tackle drought
After three years of drought and increasingly frequent heatwaves, the Greek government is now promising a multi-level response plan, according to Insidergr (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). Scientific data presented at a recent national meeting revealed that rainfall and snowfall are steadily declining, especially in Crete, the Cyclades, and central Greece, while water consumption is rising sharply during the summer.
Greece is now ranked 19th globally in terms of extreme water risk, according to the report. Without immediate action, the national water deficit could reach -23% by 2030 and -45% by 2037. Reservoir levels, particularly in Attica, have declined by over 50% since 2022.
On 23 July, following a Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasised the need for urgent reforms and a national water management strategy.
Details are not finalised, but the five core pillars of the plan are (Öffnet in neuem Fenster):
Water is and will remain a public good, as guaranteed by the Constitution and established by rulings of the Council of State.
Financially sustainable water supply, irrigation, and wastewater management companies, ensuring acceptable costs across all uses.
Holistic planning and centralised management of all necessary water-related projects, both large and small.
Emergency initiatives over the next six months, combined with a public information and awareness campaign.
New technologies and alternative water production methods, such as desalination, recycling, and reuse.
The Prime Minister emphasized that water is a public good—and will continue to be so. However, reports noted (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) that the five key pillars presented leave room for the involvement of private actors in water management, potential price increases "aimed at achieving an acceptable cost."
Where do we go from here?
According (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) to data released by EYDAP, as of July 25, 2025, the reservoirs of Attica held a total of 515,358,000 cubic meters of water. On the same day in 2024, that figure stood at 755,722,000 cubic meters, and just three years earlier, on July 25, 2022, the reservoirs contained 1,214,808,000 cubic meters - more than double the current volume.
According (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) to Fotis Maris, Rector of the Democritus University of Thrace and Professor of Mountain Water Management, Attica is experiencing a historic low in rainfall, as winter rainfall has decreased more significantly than in spring or autumn. At the same time, water consumption in Attica has increased, as the region has become a year-round tourist destination. “Tourists consume three times more water per day than permanent residents. This creates a highly pressured situation, as there are no available resources.”
In an article (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) this week, Demetris Zarris, a Hydrologist and Water Management consultant, suggested that the prevailing development model, “which treats water as a commercial commodity and aims to increase "sales,' must be urgently replaced.” A new approach is needed, which would “recognise water as a finite natural resource, prioritise local sourcing, and reduce environmental degradation and exploitation of local communities whose resources are diverted to support Attica’s needs.”
Indeed, the government's planning seems to be focused on the cost factor. Firstly, they aim to integrate peripheral water networks with EYDAP and EYATH, examining the problem through the lens of logistics.
In April, EYDAP’s CEO Harris Sachinins stated (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) that EYDAP aims to provide affordable water, but also cited findings from a public market survey (without sharing detailed statistics), indicating that a significant portion of consumers are willing to pay more in light of the climate crisis and water scarcity. At the same time, he presented data showing that Greece has the lowest water costs compared to many other countries.
The projected increase in cost stems from a massive €2.1 billion infrastructure project aimed at supplying water to Attica from the mountains of Northern Greece, through an extensive and costly network of pipelines and personnel, as Sachinis noted.
“So, is Athens going to extend until Prousos in Evritania? Is this a sustainable future? Of course, not,” Zarris noted (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).
He instead proposed instead 5 Key Water Management Strategies for the Athens Region, including integration of new water sources near Athens, reducing water loss in supply networks, reuse of treated wastewater for irrigating public green spaces and industrial applications (this water is currently being discharged at the Saronic Gulf), creation of urban flood retention systems (rain gardens, infiltration tanks, temporary runoff storage systems.) Finally, financial incentives for water storage in buildings, such as underground tanks or landscaping changes - for example, replacing water-intensive lawns with native, drought-resistant plants that require minimal irrigation.
While the Greek government is making fat promises for pharaonic projects and emergency measures, it seems that the country lacks the basics:
“The fundamental and transformative reform in the water resources sector is to start measuring how much water we actually have,” Zarris noted (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) in another post. He added that since the transformation of the Public Power Corporation (DEI) from a public utility into a private company, and the collapse of the Hydrological Data Collection & Study Department, river flow measurements have virtually ceased. “Even rainfall measurements have become disorganised, despite the dense network operated by the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), which has been functioning for only a few years and lacks integration with stations from other agencies that have ceased operation.”
Dr Zarris concluded that, unfortunately, “we are governed by people who are both uninformed and, given the drought, dangerously incompetent.”
It’s worth noting that these are the same people who, instead of putting a stop to the unchecked proliferation of private pools on the islands, proposed (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) studying a plan to fill them with seawater.
Read
Greece activates “anti-racism law” to protect Israeli tourists (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Inside Crete’s migration crisis manufactured by Libyan warlord (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Greek fir forests dying as heat peaks and snow cover wanes (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Greece Swelters, Fire Warnings Issued, as Heatwave Rolls On (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Soaring temperatures push Greece’s power demand & prices to record highs (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Retirement Age Limits Set to Rise (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Greek Consumers Slash Spending as Cost-of-Living Crisis Deepens (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Shrinking homes, shrinking lives (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Greece announces sweeping reforms in the Armed Forces (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
The Greek Islands Where You Pray Not to Get Sick (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Greece’s New Tax on Cruise Passengers Comes Into Force (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
US journalist revisits Lesvos tragedy in new book (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Earthquake rattles Chania on Crete with 5.1 R (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
What Comes Next for Karamanlis After Parliament’s Decision (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Aegean to schedule direct flights to India in March (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
The French Painter Who Found his Island Muse in Kimolos (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
A green oasis near Ηania: The Botanical Park of Crete (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
Listen
With heatwaves on the rise, can Greek homes adapt? (Öffnet in neuem Fenster)
That’s all for this week; please forward this email to anyone you think might find it interesting and ask them to join our international community!
The AL team
