Greece unveiled a new national strategy on Wednesday, July 23, to address growing water scarcity, with officials warning of the escalating risks to public health and well-being caused by declining water supplies.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Maximos Mansion, where scientific data revealed that Greece now ranks 19th globally for water stress.
Water reserves in greater Athens are more than 50% lower than in 2022, raising urgent concerns about health impacts, including dehydration, hygiene risks, and food production challenges.
“Water is and will remain a public good and a vital resource – it must be treated as such,” Mitsotakis said, stressing the need for a coordinated response to the worsening climate conditions.
The government’s five-point plan includes constitutional protection of water as a public good, emergency short-term measures to be enacted within six months, and long-term infrastructure upgrades such as desalination and recycling technologies.
Over 1,200 water-related projects are already underway nationwide.
Officials warned that Europe is the fastest-warming continent, intensifying droughts across the Mediterranean and heightening threats to vulnerable communities.
A government spokesperson emphasised the need for “greater investment and a more coordinated effort to tackle this major social and national challenge.”
Source: Ekathimerini.
