Losses from leakage in network
One can only guess how much drinking water has been lost from leaks in the aging water supply network in towns and cities. Although there are no leak-proof networks anywhere in the world, the official «leakage rate» of 20 percent is much lower than what is actually lost, according to some experts. Checks on leaks in the supply and distribution network were the focus of last week’s conference by the Citizens’ Movement. A. Deliyiannis, representing the Thessaloniki Water and Sewerage Company, admitted that daily losses were as much as 20 percent of available supplies of drinking water. According to Deliyiannis, a pilot program repaired leaks in the city’s central pipelines that led to a 15 percent reduction in waste, while the company is also planning to check its secondary network. Similarly high losses have reportedly been observed in the EYDAP network in Attica. EYDAP has begun pilot programs according to the frequency of damage aimed at a gradual replacement of the pipes, but this has not yet been completed. The greatest improvements were made before the Olympics, when EYDAP replaced kilometers of the network along the coast from Kallithea to Piraeus.
