The government’s comprehensive plan for water management and tackling water scarcity is now in full swing, with the Ministry of Environment and Energy promoting a broad program of drinking water, irrigation, desalination, and network modernization projects across Greece.

A total of 103 projects in 63 municipalities, with a combined budget of approximately €142 million, have already been approved, aiming to improve water infrastructure and ensure more efficient management of water resources.

The projects cover both island and mainland regions, including municipalities in Central Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, the Ionian Islands, and the Peloponnese. According to the ministry, nearly one in five municipalities has already benefited—or is expected to benefit—from these interventions, while an additional €50 million worth of projects is expected to be launched in the coming period.

The ministry noted that these initiatives form part of a broader national water management strategy covering the entire water cycle, from drinking water and irrigation to wastewater services. As part of this effort, Greece recently launched a public consultation on its first National Water Strategy, which is intended to serve as the country’s main roadmap for sustainable water management in the years ahead.

The ministry is also promoting what it describes as the most significant institutional reform ever undertaken in Greece’s water supply and wastewater sector.

Under the proposed legislation, the operations of 70 water service providers will be consolidated into two major utilities (EYDAP and EYATH). Greece currently has more than 735 separate water management entities, resulting in fragmentation and significant water losses. The goal is to create a more organized, resilient, and equitable system capable of delivering better services while ensuring access to high-quality, safe, and affordable water.

At the same time, the government is addressing long-standing local infrastructure problems.

Among the flagship projects is the construction of a new external water supply network in the Municipality of Pylaia-Hortiatis, with a budget of nearly €13 million, expected to provide an additional 20,000 cubic meters of water per day while eliminating the need for groundwater wells.

In the Municipality of Messini, a €5.6 million project is underway to replace the external water supply network serving Agios Floros.

Meanwhile, the Municipality of South Pelion will build a subsea water pipeline to the island settlement of Palaio Trikeri, through a €2 million project.

Major investments are also planned for the islands. Leros will receive two new desalination plants with a combined production capacity of 2,000 cubic meters per day, along with new drinking water pipelines, through a project worth €4 million.

In the Municipality of Kileler, a €5.4 million project will separate the drinking water and irrigation networks in the community of Nikaia, significantly reducing water losses and improving water conservation.

Local officials welcome the projects

Ignatios Kaitezidis, Mayor of Pylaia-Hortiatis and President of the Union of Municipalities of Central Macedonia, described the signing of the project as a historic moment after 50 years of local efforts.

He said the project would finally connect Filyro, Asvestochori, Exochi, and Hortiatis to EYATH’s water network, ensuring high-quality drinking water for more than 40,000 residents and supplying the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation University Children’s Hospital currently under construction in Filyro.

He added that the projects represent an important step toward Greece’s broader reform of water management, arguing that water scarcity—exacerbated by unintended water waste—has become “the elephant in the room” for local communities.

Messini

Messini Mayor Georgios Athanasopoulos said the new external water supply network would secure the municipality’s drinking water needs for the next 50 years.

The 16.7-kilometre pipeline will serve several communities before reaching the town’s main reservoir, while improving drinking water quality, reducing dependence on new boreholes, and helping protect water resources amid worsening drought conditions caused by climate change.

Leros

Leros Mayor Timotheos Kottakis thanked the Ministry for swiftly addressing one of the island’s most pressing problems: water scarcity.

He said the approved €5.3 million project includes two desalination plants capable of producing 1,000 cubic meters of water every 24 hours each, along with a 17.4-kilometre central water pipeline.

Once completed, all households on the island will receive desalinated drinking water.

Kileler

Kileler Mayor Athanasios G. Nasiakopoulos described the separation of drinking water and irrigation networks as an innovative project not only for the municipality but for Greece as a whole.

He said it would reduce leaks, improve drinking water availability, and save significant quantities of potable water currently used for irrigation and cleaning.

South Pelion

South Pelion Mayor Michail Mitzikos said the ministry’s support would allow the immediate construction of the underwater pipeline linking Alogoporos Trikeri with Palaio Trikeri Island.

He noted that the project would solve one of the island’s most serious water supply problems while also strengthening its firefighting capabilities.

Source: Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).