THE climate crisis it shows its teeth with a lot of “bells” and repeated ringing. Extreme heat and drought in our country bring, among other things, “headache” with its “rock”. lack of water spread day by day. In Crete In Heraklion, there is a significant reduction in the area of the artificial lake of the Aposelem dam.
Disturbing water level drop Satellite data from the European Sentinel-2 satellite, processed by the climate handbook, showing the extent of the reservoir covered by water for three consecutive years (2022, 2023 and the first decade of July 2024) are of great concern.
In 2022, the area covered by water was about 1.4 square kilometers (note that the normal surface area is 1.9 square kilometers).
At the beginning of July 2023, the surface was 0.8 square kilometers, and a few days ago (July 10, 2024) it was only 0.6 square kilometers. Therefore, the current surface is 31% of the normal surface of the reservoir.
The Decentralized Administration of Crete (Water Directorate) in cooperation with the Region of Crete and the Hellenic Agricultural Organization (ELGO DIMITRA) organized a meeting in Chania at the beginning of the month in order to coordinate and update the measures regarding the increasing lack of rain and the effects of recent hydrological years on the available water resources across Crete. organized a business meeting.
Stocks are falling
Water scarcity has manifested itself in many regions of the country, as well as in Attica, where half of the country’s population lives.
Water reserves in Mornou Reservoirs, the country’s largest region, are sufficient for the next three years, with officials preparing medium and long-term plans to deal with the situation, unless conditions change dramatically.
In Leros, the desalination plants are working poorly and the wells seem to be running dry. In Lefkada, the level of the central well has dropped to an alarming level due to a prolonged drought, while in Meganisi there have been interruptions in water supply due to a lack of water.
Chios is also facing an acute problem, where the Catraris dam in the south is drying up and water in wells is rapidly decreasing.