Waiting for water supply
Water from the Aliakmonas river will provide a definitive solution to the city’s water supply, the various incumbents of the Ministry of the Environment, Planning and Public Works (YPEHODE) have been saying for 10 years now. But the work, now budgeted at 117.4 million euros (40 billion drachmas), has suffered considerable delays due to timidity, lack of funds and other problems. Funded by the Second and Third Community Support Frameworks, the aqueduct from Imathia to Kalamaria is over 90 kilometers long. There were problems, not only with actual construction but with archaeological finds from the Roman and Byzantine periods near Aghiou Dimitriou Street that were unearthed during its passage and which have caused a two-year delay in this 1,000-meter section. This may well result in this August’s completion date being put off again. But even then, Greece’s second city will have to wait seven more months, until March 2003, before the water reaches households, and it will have to undergo purification and testing before being made available for general use.
