Announcements on water policy today by the government

The key parameters of the plan will be presented to the prime minister by Vice President Kostis Hatzidakis and Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou. The first key intervention will have to do with the “centralization” of water management, with EYDAP (Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company) and EYATH (Thessaloniki Water Supply and Sewerage Company) in the foreground. “A small TOEB cannot raise resources on its own to do irrigation projects,” a government source said, adding that a major intervention in the existing water infrastructure is also needed to reduce leakages. Sources said that since 2019, more than 270 water management projects have been undertaken and more than 1,200 projects are currently underway, but additional interventions are needed, especially a change in the water management model to bring order to the chaos that exists with about 700 active water management agencies across the country. Entities that do not interoperate with each other.

“The National Water Plan is a major reform. A reform that comes not just to respond to the pressing needs of today, but more importantly to prepare the country for the major challenges of the next 30 years,” government sources said. The Constitution and the case law of the CoE, which stipulate that water is a public good, will be taken into account, but the new model will provide for a much more active coordinating role for EYDAP and EYATH. The radius of action of the two companies will be significantly “opened up,” and they will be called upon to manage many more areas, while they will have to change the way they operate. In practice, a ‘PPP model’ (Public Power Corporation ) will be applied to the two companies, as was tried a few months ago with the trains, with deep cuts in their status, but without any question of partial privatisation.

In this effort, new technologies will be further exploited, but also complementary ways of producing water, such as desalination units. This measure is particularly relevant for the islands, where interventions are more targeted, as their population multiplies especially during the summer months. According to competent sources, of course, the plan will take into account local specificities, such as the catchment areas of each region, but also the need for water supply projects to have a flood protection function at the same time.

The need to take into account the need to ensure that the water supply and drainage system is also able to function in parallel.