Climate change and a new crowded tourist season are putting unprecedented pressure on water reserves in several islands of Greece. Emergency status due to drought has been declared on seven islands in the Aegean Sea, and authorities are trying to find solutions for water to reach both locals and the thousands of tourists.
The situation is one of the most challenging in recent years, and some communities have already been forced to limit consumption and accelerate investments in desalination facilities.
Reuters reports that on the island of Astypalaia, farmers have been left without access to water from the main reservoir, while hotels are starting to look for ways to reduce waste.
### Seven islands are in a state of emergency
Greek authorities have declared a state of emergency due to drought on seven islands in the Aegean Sea, following a year with very low precipitation.
Climate change brings increasingly hot summers and unpredictable rains, and officials are already questioning whether there will be enough water next year for residents and tourists.
Astypalaia, an island in the southeast of the Aegean Sea, is among the most affected. While the north and west of Greece had the rainiest winter since 2022, there was almost no rain here.
According to local authorities, it was the second driest season since 2020. „If we were to collect all the water that fell in a year in a bucket, the water layer would be only 2.5 centimeters,” says Mayor Nikos Komineas.
The island’s only reservoir, an artificial lake built in the ’90s, is now surrounded by dry hills and rare vegetation.
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### Farmers have lost access to water
In April, authorities stopped supplying water to farmers for irrigation to conserve reserves for the population.
Evdokia Palatianou, a 71-year-old farmer, says the vegetables in her orchard dried up after she was forced to use only brackish water from her own well. „If it doesn’t rain, I won’t plant anything anymore,” she says.
The lake that supplies households, irrigation systems, and the town of Chora contains approximately 150,000 cubic meters of water, only a sixth of its capacity.
During summer, consumption reaches about 900 cubic meters per day, so the current reserves would only be sufficient for five and a half months.
In May, authorities declared a state of emergency for water supply and accelerated the installation of a temporary desalination unit capable of producing 600 cubic meters of water per day.
The mayor says that suspending irrigation was a difficult but necessary decision to protect reserves until autumn.
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### Tourism doubles pressure on resources
The problem worsens in the summer months when the island’s population multiplies several times.
In the village of Analipsi, the population increases from about 1,400 to nearly 7,000 people during the peak summer season, and the existing desalination plant can no longer meet the demand.
For this reason, a second temporary unit has been installed until the completion of a permanent facility scheduled for the end of the year.
Dozens of desalination plants are already operating on the islands of Greece, but they consume significant amounts of energy and are costly.
„My biggest concern was what would happen if it didn’t rain again this year,” says the mayor.
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### Hotels start to save water
The tourism industry is also beginning to adapt.
Carolina Alkalai, owner of a hotel in Chora, offers a 5 euro voucher to tourists who forgo daily room cleaning to reduce water consumption.
She plans to build a second hotel in the future, equipped this time with a rainwater collection tank instead of a pool or jacuzzi.
Meanwhile, the Greek Ministry of the Environment has allocated 15 million euros for desalination facilities, modernization of water networks, and construction of reservoirs on nine inhabited islands, with 1.5 million euros going to Astypalaia.
The National Center for Scientific Research „Demokritos” in Athens warns that drought could worsen by 2049 as global temperatures continue to rise, exacerbating water scarcity on Greece’s vulnerable islands.
G.P.