Despite dwindling water reserves in many parts of Greece and widespread concern over future availability, just over 1 percent of local authorities surveyed by Thessaloniki University have taken concrete action to save water and improve management of local reserves.

According to research made public yesterday, out of 79 municipalities monitored, only one — in the Cretan town of Ierapetra — had implemented special measures to prevent squandering of local reserves. At the other end of the spectrum, the local authority at Naoussa, a western Macedonian town with famous waterfalls, has not even installed water meters in residents’ homes, levying instead a low, fixed charge.

And with the exception of Athens, it was only in the past few years that water companies in Greece’s main cities launched awareness campaigns on saving water.