Friday, July 25, 2025, should have arrived like any other sweltering summer day in Crete. Instead, it brought hot news: the government’s shiny new National Water Management Plan. The proposal douses local hopes with cold water, setting the stage for a less-than-friendly shift — namely, fewer water companies and a growing role for private investors.
Crete’s response has been less “cheers” and more “are you kidding?” Critics argue that the plan makes it easier for private companies to tap into local water supplies. The Association of Municipal Water and Sewerage Enterprises (save time, just call them EDEYA) warns that higher water prices and restricted access are a foregone conclusion if this plan sticks.
What’s the Plan? Here’s What Residents Are Dealing With
- The Prime Minister announced plans to consolidate 129 municipal water companies down to just three. Athens gets one. Thessaloniki gets one. Everyone else shares a third. Sounds efficient, right?
- The government claims water will stay public. City officials aren’t buying it. They say the public only matters if local authorities run the show, not private companies in disguise.
- EDEYA was excluded from the planning process. The government only invited the big water players from Athens and Thessaloniki.
- Municipal leaders say they saw intentions, not actual plans, with vague guidelines and no real roadmap to handle local problems.
EDEYA summed it up with typical Cretan bluntness: “Don’t use us as cover for sketchy decisions. Don’t ignore local voices and then hike up water prices for everyone.”
EDEYA Calls for Planning and Transparency
The real stars of this drama, the people who work in the water utilities, weren’t even asked to perform. Georgios Marinakis, president of EDEYA and mayor of Rethymno, called out the government for missing the point: “I don’t see any plan. The statement of intent was announced, without any evidence of this.”
Marinakis also rolled out some not-so-fun facts:
- Water utilities support over 26 billion euros in projects for a better life and a cleaner environment.
- 129 utilities maintain thousands of storage tanks, control more than 5,500 wells, and run 70,000 km of water pipes.
- About 3 million water meters sit in their care.
- They handle around 550 million cubic meters of water annually.
The DEYA offices are always filled with empty chairs. According to their own blueprints, approximately 44% of staff members are missing in action. Still, DEYA continues to juggle water management projects worth over 3.35 billion euros. That’s not small change. Picture this: they’re planning desalination plants, building dams, patching leaks, and trying to keep residents informed about how to conserve water. Somewhere in there, they must find time for lunch.
Now, the stakes keep climbing. Since 2021, energy costs have soared, consuming 40% of their operating expenses (it used to be only 19%). Water plants require a significant amount of energy. DEYA, left with the bill, did not pass those extra costs on to residents. While flashy subsidies went to private companies, public utilities like DEYA were left struggling.
Big Talk About Water, Small Help from Above
DEYA can spot a passing of the buck a mile away. The organization warns that the state would rather sidestep responsibility for the country’s water and sewer systems. Instead, costs end up trickling downhill right to the people.
They’re not asking just for a spot at the table—they want a real say in how water gets managed. DEYA reminds everyone that decisions made without local voices rarely land well. Ignore residents and local governments, they say, and people will see water bills skyrocket and access get harder, all while local expertise gets left out.
DEYA’s main demands:
- Active role in water planning and decision-making
- Management solutions tailored to local conditions
- Use the deep well of knowledge from years of local water management
- No cover for rushed or unconstitutional decisions that ignore local needs
DEYA also suspects state officials would be thrilled to offload future headaches and let citizens foot the bill.
No, the Discussion Isn’t Over—It’s Barely Started
Residents deserve a genuine conversation about the future of water, not just backroom deals for investors or generic solutions. DEYA hopes that someone out there is ready to discuss shortages, costs, and the real work required to keep the taps running. Water, after all, isn’t some investor’s jackpot—it’s a public resource.
Privatization: Because Who Needs Public Water When You Can Pay More?
Manolis Skepastianós, representing Heraklion’s utility workers, said the National Plan is the first step toward handing water over to private hands. He fears prices will jump skyward. He even joked (maybe) about “green, yellow, and blue bills, just like the power company,” hinting at the creative ways prices could soar.
Repeated attempts to change the water system continue to overlook the voices that matter — the cities, the workers, and the individuals who know the customers best. Government officials think talking with actual water managers is too much of a hassle.
Water Is Essential, Not a Cash Cow
EDEYA insists that facing the actual drought needs more innovative solutions, not blanket privatization. The group swears by local input and practical fixes, based on decades of real, muddy-boots experience. Their warning sounds clear: ignore local knowledge, and residents will end up paying more for a basic human need.
Residents of Crete and across Greece can only hope someone upstairs is listening, before water prices do more than trickle up.
Source: Οι εξαγγελίες… φέρνουν ιδιώτες στο νερό – Αντιδράσεις στην Κρήτη για το εθνικό σχέδιο λειψυδρίας
[…] This does not appear to be policy oversight, but a slow, deliberate sabotage. I believe the goal is not to save the water. It is to monetize the thirst. […]