Greece must manage its water better to prepare for the rainless times ahead, an expert warned yesterday, after data showed that January was one of the driest months in recent years.

Giorgos Kallergis, a professor of hydrogeology at the University of Patras, told Kathimerini that Greece manages water only so it can meet consumer needs and unnecessarily wastes it with antiquated practices.

”At a time when other European countries have introduced drip irrigation systems, we continue to use ‘cannons’ in Thessaly,” he said. The agriculture sector is the main culprit for draining the country’s water resources, demanding 86 percent of reserves.

Experts believe that the introduction of recycling schemes will help save used water from being unnecessarily thrown away into the sea.