Water resources being squandered
Greece’s natural environment is a distinct asset to Greek agriculture. But the country is facing serious problems because of reduced biodiversity, erosion, soil and water pollution, but above all, the squandering of water resources. The state of the environment is deteriorating slowly but surely, due to a lack of institutional protection and to pressure for recreational facilities. Some improvement could be achieved by the implementation of certain agricultural and environmental programs, but these require trained, informed farmers and modern methods of supervision. A recent European Union directive will lead to water being priced on a sliding scale according to area and availability. But investment is necessary too, in order to prevent water wastage in fields. The level of environmental protection is poor because farming is not linked to the idea of protection. And the fact that land use is not strictly defined creates further problems.
