Council of State to rule once again on the Acheloos River diversion project
The Acheloos River diversion project, which has long divided public opinion and policymakers, will once again be arbitrated by the Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court. Four environmental organizations, two municipalities, and other regional bodies in Aitolokarnania are demanding the cancellation of water management plans for Thessaly and Western Greece, which aim to partially divert the Acheloos River to address agricultural and water scarcity issues in the Thessaly plain. The petitioners argue that the project violates European Union environmental laws and accuse the government of sustaining a “mythology” around the diversion that has stalled essential water management initiatives in the Thessaly region.
The case includes the Region of Western Greece, the Regional Association of Municipalities of Western Greece, the Agrinio and Messolongi municipalities, the Agrinio Agricultural Cooperative, the Aitolokarnania Chamber of Commerce, as well as WWF Greece, the Hellenic Ornithological Society, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature, and the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage. Together, these organizations seek to overturn government decisions that revived the diversion project plans this past April.
The petitioners argue that the diversion, promoted as a solution for irrigation and energy needs, fails to comply with EU regulations on water resource protection and environmental impact assessment. They claim the plans are based on outdated data that misrepresent Thessaly’s actual water requirements, overstating the necessity for a water transfer. Additionally, they allege that the plans disregard sustainable agriculture policies and EU-backed water management strategies, while highlighting that the proposed works – including the construction of the Sykea Dam and a water diversion tunnel – would bring enormous environmental and financial costs. They conclude that focusing on this singular, large-scale project has delayed critical upgrades to irrigation networks, additional water storage initiatives in the Pineios River basin, and sustainable solutions to reduce agricultural water consumption.
“Decades of diversion-related ‘mythology’ have plunged Thessaly into political inaction, delaying the implementation of crucial water management projects,” reads a joint statement from the petitioners. “In an era of increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters that have heavily impacted Thessaly’s agricultural sector, the revival of this politically sensational project is yet another sign that Greece is facing an uncertain climate future with its gaze fixed firmly on the past.”
