“Greece is 19th in the world at risk of water shortage”
The Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou participated today in the 41st electoral-ordinary congress of the Workers’ Federation of EYDAP.
During his greeting, he underlined that the company very recently celebrated a century of life and successful course, thanks to the lively potential of EYDAP. “We recently saw, at the presentation of the 100-year celebration, the historical course of the company. We have seen the great work on the Marathon dam under Eleftherios Venizelos, Ylikis in 1956, Mornos in 1979, the studies on Evinos that started in 1990 and now the debate on Eurytos. The faces changed. Situations have also changed. One thing has remained constant: the tireless pillar for all these works, which is one. It’s you. You are the workers. In your daily life you have a deep sense of responsibility for what you do for all of us and that is why I say a big thank you for what you have done”, said the minister.
According to a relevant announcement, Mr. Papastavrou referred to the public character of EYDAP, underlining that “one thing is certain, that EYDAP is and will remain in the State – and that is non-negotiable. And since not many years have passed and we all remember the story, it is Kyriakos Mitsotakis who brought EYDAP back to the State, it was the New Democracy government and I personally who did not accept it to enter the Superfund. And he will remain in the State.”
Referring to the problem water shortage facing the country, the Minister of Environment and Energy noted: “Greece is 19th in the world at risk of water shortage. Our country, like the rest of the Mediterranean, is included in the countries predicted to face special problems related to water in the future. Our wider region is one of the most vulnerable and directly affected by the climate crisis worldwide. Climate change has intensified the rates of water resource depletion. Until 2021 the reserves in the reservoirs were stable at 1.1 billion cubic meters. They were not decreasing. From 2022, the stockpile reduction reaches approximately 250 million cubic meters per year.” In addition, it focused on reducing precipitation by about 25%, increasing annual evaporation by about 15%, and increasing consumption by about 6%. “All these elements agree that Greece will face, after Cyprus, the highest “water stress” in Southern Europe.”
“To deal with these phenomena, the government prepared the company’s expansion and strengthening plan. This includes, among other things, the further development of EYDAP, which supplies water to almost half of the country’s population, and the extension of its responsibilities to the other three Regional Units of the country, Boeotia, Phocis, Evia, as well as to the whole of Attica,” he pointed out.
Mr. Papastavrou emphasized at the same time that “in the same context, the Board of Directors of EYDAP decided significant new recruitment of permanent employees over three years. A battle is not fought without employees feeling that they have the full support of all of us – and they do. And that’s why I’m here today.”
“All I can say is that the government and I personally will always be helpful to EYDAP and its workers. We still have a lot to do many challenges and we will face them together”, concluded the minister.