Regions threatened by drought
Although Greece is not among the countries at greatest risk, whether regarding water quantity or quality, experts believe that there is much cause for concern. All of Greece’s islands, the eastern and southwestern Peloponnese, the island of Evia, Thessaly, central Thrace and eastern Crete will be facing serious water shortages by 2015, according to experts at the National Technical University’s Water Governance Laboratory. They also predict that Attica, Thessaloniki and Viotia as well as several areas in the Peloponnese will have major problems with water governance. According to the laboratory’s director, Giorgos Tsakiris, the main factors exacerbating the situation are changing consumer norms, the rapid development of coastal and island regions, the continuing poor use of water resources, along with major climatic changes. Daily water consumption is expected to rise by 50 percent, that is from 200 liters per person daily to 300 liters. Particularly in coastal and island regions, there has been a considerable increase in demand because of the growth of tourism and improved shipping connections, which have made the islands more accessible. Growing numbers of foreigners have been buying land in the islands and staying there for longer and longer periods. The continued mismanagement of water resources has led to more salination and pollution of water reserves. The reversal of the balance of supply and demand is expected to change over the next few years, with supply dropping by 15 percent, as global warming over the next 50 years will raise average temperatures by two degrees and reduce rainfall by 10 percent. Traditional farming practices are also a cause of water waste.
