“Water reserves are extremely low, we’re experiencing the third consecutive year of drought. This has happened only once before in the last 50 years, during the period ’91-’93, it is exceptionally unusual,” said the General Secretary of Natural Environment and Water of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Petros Barelidis, speaking about the phenomenon of water shortage on Wednesday morning on Parapolitika 90.1 radio show “Why did you wake me up early” with journalists Sotiris Xenakis and Vasilis Skouris. “We are in an emergency situation” he added.
As Mr. Barelidis explained, water reserves are extremely low while we are experiencing the third consecutive year of drought. “This has happened only once before in the last 50 years, during the period ’91-’93, it is exceptionally unusual. It is a very unusual phenomenon that affects water supplies overall. Water in DEI (Public Power Corporation) dams compared to last year is approximately 40% lower on average. Most DEI dams are in northern Greece and are in areas that receive heavy rainfall, yet they’re 40% down, this affects not only irrigation but also water supply and this affects hydroelectric power generation which is very cheap, therefore creating tension between different uses demanded for water.”
Barelidis on water shortage: In Attica, if it didn’t rain at all, we would have water for 16 months
Moreover, the general secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Energy explained that “in the Attica basin, reserves at this moment are approximately 540 million cubic meters, which is approximately 250 million less than last year. Each year we consume approximately 420 million, meaning if it didn’t rain at all we would have water for 16 months.”
“The reserves in Mornos and Evinos are very low, which is why EYDAP (Athens Water Supply Company) has started pumping water from the Yliki system and of course there are some boreholes. Some immediate measures have already been taken, meaning there are some measures that ensure larger quantities of water that sometimes can last for 15 days for example,” he added.
When asked if we are entering a state of emergency, Petros Barelidis answered that “we are in an emergency situation.”
When asked if immediate measures regarding water tariffs would be taken, the general secretary answered “EYDAP’s tariff hasn’t increased for over 20 years, if you adjust it for inflation this would mean you have a decrease in real value, it could be 30-40%. The issue of tariffs is obviously continuously evaluated by each company.”
Regarding EYDAP’s water leaks he said: “Non-revenue water in the entire water supply network of Attica is approximately 32%, it’s a number that is somewhat inflated, it’s slightly higher than internationally accepted as acceptable. It’s not only water that leaks, it evaporates because we have many open reservoirs and as average temperature increases we have evaporation. We have open channels, we have water theft, we have tampered meters. Many EYDAP contracts are being executed aimed at reducing these leaks but also the issue of installing digital water meters will be very important regarding water theft and tampered water meters.”
Mr. Barelidis concluded: “Irrigation water is very often extremely cheap so those who use it are not interested in conserving it.”
