Water scarcity: Alarm in Patmos, Leros, Attica for water reserves - Interventions are coming, experts explain what is happening

The picture that has been formed from the scientific findings of the Polytechnic University and the data of water utility EYDAP is irrefutable. Water reserves are declining to unprecedented levels, pumping systems are being strained and the country's reservoirs clearly show that the drought of recent years is now accumulating dramatic consequences. A typical example is the Mornos reservoir, where exactly a year ago the measurements for November 26, 2024 showed 261.3 million cubic meters, while on November 26, 2025 the measurements showed 160.6 million cubic meters. That is, 100.6 million cubic meters less in one year. A quantity that constitutes a negative fifteen-year record.

Water reserves are collapsing, scientists are concerned

The experts' forecasts are clear. If the winter does not bring significant rainfall and even more snow in the mountains, the reserves will last only one year. The situation on the islands of the eastern Aegean is even more pressing. Patmos and Leros are already at the limits of their water potential, without the required management capacity to carry out the projects that will improve their infrastructure. That is why the declaration of an emergency does not concern citizens, but the immediate securing of funding and the bypassing of bureaucracy so that the necessary technical interventions can begin quickly.

Procedures are underway for rapid interventions before control is lost

The same management tool is expected to be activated for Attica, following a request from EYDAP that has been pending for months. According to the Secretary General of the Natural Environment and Waters, Petros Varelidis, speaking to media outlet iefimerida, “the inclusion of Attica in the alert regime does not lead to restrictions for citizens, but allows the projects that have already been planned to strengthen the water supply system to proceed immediately.” As hydrologist and lecturer at the University of West Attica, Elisabeth Feloni, explained to iefimerida, “This is a process that bypasses time-consuming tenders and public consultations, following the model that was successfully implemented in Thessaly after the devastation of Storm Daniel.” According to Ms. Feloni, reserves in key water reservoirs – such as Evinos – are at their lowest levels in the last two decades, comparable to the period of intense drought in 2008. “Despite the fact that the first autumn rains have already given a little respite to the reservoirs of Western Central Greece, the real strengthening of reserves will depend on the winter snowfall. If this proves to be limited – as is unfortunately expected due to the mild weather – then in the spring and summer of 2026 the country may find itself faced with serious pressures on the water supply system.”

At the same time, Mr. Varelidis warns that forecast models for local rainfall have little reliability and cannot be used as a basis for water supply security. “It is not possible to base the water supply of four million people on the luck of the rain in Mornos or Yliki,” he notes characteristically, emphasizing that the country is experiencing a drought similar to that of the period 1990–1993.

Announcements from the National Water Authority of Greece are rending

The announcements from the National Water Authority of Greece are awaited with particular interest, as they will determine the timetable and scope of the interventions that will be developed in the coming period. What is certain is that Greece is facing a difficult reality. Water scarcity is no longer a future threat, but a present that requires quick decisions, coordination and strong political will. Whether it is islands struggling with minimal resources or Attica with millions of inhabitants, the challenge remains common. To ensure that water does not become a scarce resource.