Measures to tackle Attica water shortage
Measures were announced on Tuesday to tackle future water shortages in Attica as the reservoirs of the Evinos and Mornos rivers are at historically low levels. More specifically, Attica will have enough water for four years if the drought of the last two years continues, according to announcement by the Environment Ministry and the state water company (EYDAP). As a result, EYDAP has begun drilling in Attica and Viotia, is using Lake Yliki, and is considering diverting water to the rivers that feed Kremasta Lake, as well as establishing a desalination plant.
“The water supply system is designed so that the reservoirs’ reserves do not decrease. However, in the last two years, due to the drought, the reserves have decreased from 1,158,127 million cubic meters in August 2022 to 703,339 million cubic meters in August 2024, an average of about 225 million cubic meters per year,” the Environment Ministry said in a statement.
EYDAP’s reserves reached a historic low of 136 million cubic meters in 1993, prompting the construction of the Evinos dam and the Evinos-Mornos tunnel to buttress the reserves of the latter from the former. Record reserves were recorded in 2019, when the capital’s water reserves reached 1.2 billion cubic meters of water.
For its part, the Environment Ministry is cautiously optimistic that the issue can be managed.
“EYDAP, according to its planning, has already activated additional sources of water supply, with the reopening of 17 boreholes, mainly in the area of Mavrosovala, and will activate boreholes in the middle of the Viotian Kifissos basin, while water is also now being pumped from Yliki, which until now was a reserve reservoir. These actions will contribute about 75 million cubic meters per year,” the announcement said.
