Greece’s Waste, Energy and Water Regulatory Authority has recommended that the region of Attica — home to nearly half the country’s population, including Athens — be placed under a state of emergency because of an increasingly severe water shortage. The decision follows similar emergency recommendations for the islands of Leros, Patmos and Meganisi, all of which are struggling with dwindling water supplies.
The Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company issued an urgent warning to the Ministry of Environment, reporting a dramatic decline in reservoir levels. The Mornos reservoir, one of the main sources of water for the capital, now holds just 160.6 million cubic meters of water, a 40 percent drop compared to last year. Across all four of EYDAP’s reservoirs, water reserves have fallen by nearly 37 percent.
An emergency declaration would allow Greek authorities to bypass lengthy bureaucratic processes and rapidly approve studies, award contracts and implement infrastructure projects. The government plans to activate special procedures already used in recent disaster-response efforts, aiming to stabilize areas at risk of what officials describe as “hydrological collapse.”
At the center of the response is the €500-million “Evrytos” project, which involves diverting water from two rivers in central Greece toward the Evinos reservoir and upgrading parts of the country’s water network. Authorities are also examining the possibility of deploying desalination units in several coastal areas, though the cost of desalinated water remains significantly higher than that of conventional sources.
The strain on Greece’s water resources reflects a broader pattern of climate-related stress. Officials say rainfall in affected regions has dropped by roughly 25 percent, while evaporation rates have risen 15 percent and overall consumption has increased by about 6 percent. The regulator is expected to finalize new water pricing by the end of the year, a decision that will form a crucial part of the country’s long-term water management strategy.
