Dutch experts back river diversion for Thessaly
Dutch post-disaster advisers support the idea of diverting River Acheloos in Epirus as “the most sustainable solution” to alleviate the water scarcity problem that is threatening agricultural production in the Thessaly region of central Greece.
The masterplan by Netherlands-based HVA International, which was put to public consultation Thursday, notes that “drastic adjustments are necessary to counteract the declining groundwater tables and halt the intrusion of saline groundwater. It says that “current groundwater abstraction must be reduced by approximately 500 million m3 per year.”
“The best and most sustainable solution would be to… divert the Acheloos River. With this intervention it appears likely to eventually begin recharging the Almyros aquifer and restore the depleted groundwater levels to a more sustainable level,” it says.
“Note that the calculation is for 300 million m3, whereas there are indications that up to 600 million m3 can be diverted,” it adds, putting the total project cost at 400 million euros.
HVA refers to past reservations over the environmental impact on the delicate ecosystem of the Acheloos estuary by the project, which has been annulled five times by the Council of State.
