Holistic plan water supply And not just “patches” with drilling and small -scale projects, they are demanding mayors of Halkidiki who are unable to answer if they will have water throughout the summer.
Already in early May, the municipalities of Kassandra, Sithonia and Propontis and now local agencies are struggling to respond to increasing demand. For his part, Dr. Petros Varelides, General Secretary of the Natural Environment and Water of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, notes that holistic treatment requires a comprehensive plan that is an obligation of each provider who knows what its problems, weak and strengths are.
The Athenian-Macedonian News Agency went to areas of Halkidiki, researching the phenomenon that has not only an impact on tourism and the daily living of the locals but also in the primary sector. Large areas with olive trees- it is calculated that About 6,000,000 olive trees are cultivated in Halkidiki, Of about 20,000 producers, over 330,000 acres of land – have irrigation requirements treated mainly by drilling.
As a solution to the problem, the construction of a barrier in the largest river in Halkidiki has been qualified for decades, the caviar stemming from its mountainous volumes Holomon and the Stratonos and flows into the Toroneos Gulf. However, due to the difficult cost of completing the project, it seems that it is now unprofitable and the last auction competition has not been completed.
Mayors ask for explicitly by the ministries involved to address the issue holistically by proposing, Among other things, the manufacture of microphones, the replacement of the aged water supply network that results in major losses and the construction of biological cleaning, projects that require generous funding.
Specific Master Plan required
According to what Mr. Varelides told RES-EIA, each provider, under the legislation, must have a five-year master plan that hies the infrastructure projects to be done.
“Obviously, if there is this, Funding after projects becomes easier in the sense that there is a greater The state’s confidence that if something is funded, the money is not thrown out, ”he says.
He states, however, that mayors’ proposals do not constitute a master plan, which does not mean that the RIS does not fund any projects.
“With the limited finances of the ministry we fund some projects that are obviously ‘aspirins’ because they do not solve the problem in the long run.”
Referring to Havria’s work, he made it clear that he has no guaranteed funding at the moment while Halkidiki has some peculiarities, compared to the islands of the South Aegean, because it is an area that has water.
“But it has great needs of water and irrigation and is one of the few areas that have both tourism and agriculture, two aggravating factors that launch demand. In addition, it has a diffusion of suburban tissue that also worsens the issue and creates the issue and creates the issue. Requirements with large networks, which is a mirror of the anarchic development model followed in some areas ”.
Mr. Varelidis finally said that there were some requests from mayors in the area for projects that are being considered.
“At the recovery fund we funded € 150 million worth of projects and the requests we had were over 1.5 billion. So you understand that a choice has to be made, now we have 60 million euros to provide for water supply projects and we must see in collaboration with the Minister of Environment and Energy.”
The water scarcity has already knocked on the door
In Ormylia and on the small bridge of Havria, Polygyros Mayor George Emmanouil explains that we are about 3 kilometers south of the area that has been studied to build the barrier, a project whose idea began 4 decades ago as a transcendental importance.
“But a project that is costly and has not started in previous years because no funding has been found. However, a grid of other projects is required to start the barrier as above its proposed position, there are 9 settlements that do not have a wastewater treatment plant which would have to be preceded by the project. to irrigate the whole plain of Ormylia and of course to channel the distribution networks of water. It is only for the dam construction of approximately 100 million euros, but the sewage treatment plants and distribution networks have not been calculated. I believe that in the end we will exceed 350 million euros. “
According to the mayor of Polygyros, the project is stationary, as the water scarcity has “knocked on the door”.
“It takes a holistic approach that must definitely include projects to be able to contain the waters that come in large quantities, but a few times a year and are lost because they end up in the sea. So a network of small dams are required, clearly lower costs as it costs about 500,000 euros.” It is estimated that microfications could also help the agricultural sector in this area where there are about 2 million irrigated olive trees that consume a quantity of water over 35 million cubic meters a year.
For Mr. Emmanuel, Drilling is not a rational move in a aquifer which has fallen quite a bit and is a matter of inflammation. The municipality has proposed replacing old water pipes because the losses exceed 60% and the construction of sewage treatment plants, with the water resulting from tertiary treatment, go for irrigation.
Will the water arrive in the summer?
Without an answer is the question for Mr Emmanuel who, however, finds that winter rainfall resulted in better than last year.
“But all this is aspirins, They do not solve the problem that is too big and requires serious funding ” ends up.
He left the question and Propontis Mayor Manolis Karras, stressing that despite the 23 drilling they have made, they are lacking funding, thereby raising the water supply, irrigation and sewer fees to face costs.
“The municipality New Propontis is facing a huge problem of water scarcity and in quantity But also the water content with a male, ”he explains when browsing the water treatment plant in the new triglia.
“Unfortunately, in the area of the Triglia Municipal Unit, the aquifer is enriched with a male and cannot be used for how much there was a processing unit. But last year, when water scarcity began, the amount of water decreased. in the underground aquifer, causing the male content to rise. We have made announcements that water should not be used for how much we went into the process and obtained additional machines for a second treatment, ”says Karras, adding that the water scarcity would determine if the water will need a third treatment to be suitable for how much.
The mayor of Propontis also sets the holistic approach to the issue by stressing that it must be given that 100,000 people live in Halkidiki in winter but in the summer there is a million in the summer so the infrastructure must be commensurate.
Mount Dragundeli “saves” Sithonia
On the east side of the Nikiti community, workers and machinery works in the drilling of yet another drilling, an action that, according to the Vice Mayor of Technical Services, Planning, Development Programs and Planning of the Municipality of Sithonia Theodoros Robber, does not solve the problem.
“They are emergency solutions and we see that every year their gain is scarce. The needs of the Municipality of Sithonia are huge with all the reconstruction and growth that exists, we try to spend the summer without problems and appreciate That we will not have serious issues. We are lucky to have the mountain range of Mount Dragundeli who supplies the village of Agios Nikolaos 20% of its water needs. ”
In terms of biological cleaning, Lysis says that all communities have and only with figs there is a technical issue with its construction.
With only 12,500 inhabitants in the winter launched at 250,000 in the summer, Dimitris Zafiris, Deputy Mayor of Cleanliness, Water Supply and Sewerage of the Municipality of Sithonia, argues that there was no planning until recently taking into account both the carrying capacity and infrastructure.
“We run behind this need, and especially here that new beds and accommodation are added every year. Long -term design has to do with water reservoirs in the mountain range of Sithonia that could solve the problem.”
The olive groves and the great need for irrigation
Olynthos is based in the Agricultural Cooperative of Biolivia Organic Olive Producers with 24 members and 800 acres of olive groves. In the Mariana area, a few kilometers outside the village, Cooperative President Dimitris Evangelinos guides us to an area where green is produced Olive Halkidian organic cultivation. It is a particularly demanding cultivation, with large irrigation needs affected by climate change and dryer conditions.
“Last year we reached the point of zero because they are mainly irrigated by drilling that pumps water from 400 meters. The groundwater level fell and we tried not to waste any waste, exploiting each drop,” says Evangelinos. He explains that because the soil is a large water reservoir, organic crops are indicated because the bio -cultivator takes care of the soil that will nourish its trees.
“When there is no herbicide and we leave the greens, a layer of foam is created that results in rain water being used and stored. That is, it wants a change of cruise, not that it will solve the problem but it is a measure for a different soil management.”
Mr. Evgelinos asks Institutionalization of the way of irrigation to be done underground, Something that the producers need to be subsidized. “At the disadvantaged production costs we have reached points where olive groves are now being gathered,” he observes. This year, however, forecasts are optimistic as the olive shows that it is cherished after a winter favorable and a strong productive year is expected.