Greece is making a splash again — not with rainfall, but with announcements. Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou unveiled a €2.5 billion investment to fight water scarcity in Attica, because apparently, prayers to Poseidon have stopped working.
The event took place during EYDAP’s 100th anniversary, which was fitting, as most of Greece’s water infrastructure still dates back to roughly the same era.
According to the minister, the new plan “is not a choice but a necessity.” Translation: We ignored this for decades, but now the pipes are actually sighing.
The Euritus Project: Because Latin Makes It Sound Serious
At the heart of the plan is the Euritus Project, which promises to protect Attica’s water resources for the next 30 years — or at least until the next government changes the logo.
This ambitious effort involves the partial diversion of the Krikeliotis and Karpenisiotis rivers, to be completed by 2029, precisely 100 years after the Marathon Dam was built. That’s called “symbolism.” Or maybe “déjà vu.”
Short-term measures include digging boreholes in Mavrosouvala and Ouggron, which are expected to produce 150 million cubic meters of water annually — assuming the paperwork is completed promptly, rather than prolonging the drought.
The Seven Commandments of Water Management
Papastavrou also introduced the ministry’s seven strategic pillars, which sound suspiciously like the Ten Commandments after EU funding adjustments:
- Thou shalt strengthen infrastructure.
- Thou shalt monitor everything, including raindrops.
- Thou shalt reuse wastewater (preferably not in coffee).
- Thou shalt privatize just enough to call it “cooperation.”
- Thou shalt fix irrigation pipes older than your grandmother.
- Thou shalt merge 740 water agencies into two and call it progress.
- Thou shalt innovate, sustainably, in a PowerPoint presentation.
Two Water Pillars and a Lake of Bureaucracy
Greece currently has over 740 water management entities, which is about 739 too many. Under the new plan, only two — EYDAP in Attica and EYATH in Thessaloniki — will remain in charge. The rest will be gently… “streamlined,” a bureaucratic term meaning we have no idea how this will work.
Each organization will also handle irrigation, because clearly, managing a metropolis isn’t complicated enough.
The Interior Ministry will oversee 110 struggling municipal water companies, known as DEYAs, ensuring they are now operated under a more centralized structure.
Meanwhile, on the Islands…
Across the islands, 150 projects worth €320 million are already “underway,” which in Greek means half-approved, one-third funded, and one-tenth built.
These projects aim to reduce water losses, although most residents are aware that the water actually goes straight into leaks, lawsuits, and lattes.
Greece, the 19th Driest Country With the 1st Wettest Press Releases
Papastavrou warned that Greece ranks 19th worldwide in terms of water scarcity, with Attica leading the way in terms of dehydration. Reservoirs are losing 250 million cubic meters of water per year, rainfall has decreased by 25%, and evaporation has increased by 15%.
In other words, it’s getting hot, dry, and awkwardly ironic for a country surrounded by water.
“The climate crisis is not a threat of the future — it’s a reality,” the minister said.
True. But so is bureaucracy. And between the two, the climate may have better odds.
Final Drip
EYDAP, celebrating 100 years of water management, was praised as a “national asset” and “pillar of sustainability.” Which is poetic, since most pillars in Greece were built when Athens still believed in Zeus.
The €2.5 billion plan is ambitious — maybe even noble. But knowing Greece, by 2029 we’ll have a brand-new logo, a fresh round of announcements, and possibly a PowerPoint presentation explaining why the pipes are still dry.
Until then, stay hydrated — and pray your borehole paperwork clears before the next drought.