“The amount of water that one consumes is highly dependent on the temperature in the country,” said Dimitrios Emmanouloudis, the UNESCO chair on conservation and ecotourism of riparian and deltaic ecosystems. “You need less water when it’s 82 degrees than when it’s 104. Then add the increase in demand brought by tourists. It’s an explosive cocktail that brought the situation to a head.”
Beyond the islands, the reservoirs that supply water to Athens have been hit hard by climate change, with Lake Mornos, the largest reservoir, at its lowest level in 16 years, exposing the ruins of the village of Kallio, which was submerged in 1980. The capital’s water reserves are currently at 656,653 million cubic meters, down from 1.1 billion cubic meters in September 2022, according to the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company.
Dry conditions and high winds also created perfect conditions for wildfires, with numerous blazes across the country — including one that reached the suburbs of Athens — adding further pressure on the water supply.
In late June, on the small island of Serifos, which is adjacent to Sifnos, a large wildfire destroyed houses and severely damaged the water infrastructure. “We consumed a significant amount of water in order to put out the fire,” said Konstantinos Revinthis, the mayor of Serifos, who declared a state of emergency for four consecutive months because of the water shortages. The island is conducting research on replacing its water infrastructure, which, Mr. Revinthis said, is antiquated.
Preparing for prolonged shortages, the Greek government announced measures last week to tackle the issue, including drilling for groundwater, desalination and repairing water networks. Theodoros Skylakakis, the environment and energy minister, warned that limits to consumption may be introduced, but until then, regardless of availability, people should use water sparingly.
Source: nytimes.com
