At a special event held today at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Minister Stavros Papastavrou signed the decision to include island municipalities in the “Drinking Water Supply and Water Management Interventions” program under the “Drinking Water Supply and Water Management” of the Ministry of Environment and Energy’s Sectoral Development Program.
Also participating in the event were the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Vasilis Kikilias; the Regional Governor of the South Aegean, Giorgos Hatzimarkos; and the New Democracy members of Parliament, Yiannis Pappas and Manolis Konsolas from the Dodecanese; Christos Triantopoulos and Christos Boukoros from Magnesia; Dionysis Aktypis from Zakynthos; and Lefteris Avgenakis from Heraklion, Crete.
Also participating were the mayors of Naxos and the Small Cyclades, Dimitris Lianos; of Amorgos, Lefteris Karaiskos; Stamatis Perissis, mayor of Skopelos; Panagiotis Anagnostou, mayor of Alonissos; Giorgos Stasinopoulos, mayor of Zakynthos; Pavlos Baritakis, mayor of Viannos; and Timotheos Kottakis, mayor of Leros. The mayors of Rhodes, Alexandros Koliadis, and Astypalaia, Nikos Kominas, participated via teleconference. Petros Varelidis, Secretary General for the Natural Environment and Water at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, also participated.
This program funds 10 projects in 9 island municipalities with a total budget of over 15 million euros. These new projects will improve water supply conditions in the beneficiary municipalities by reducing water leaks through the repair and upgrading of aging networks, water supply to areas will be expanded through the construction of new networks, and adequate water supply will be ensured in areas facing water shortages through the installation of new desalination plants, as well as the construction of related supporting infrastructure.
Specifically:
In the Cyclades, existing water supply networks are being upgraded on Naxos, and a water reservoir is being built on Amorgos.
In the Dodecanese, desalination plants are being installed on Astypalea, water supply networks are being repaired and constructed on Rhodes, and desalination plants along with their associated infrastructure are being installed on Leros.
In the Sporades, water supply networks are being upgraded on Skopelos, and supporting desalination projects are underway on Alonnisos.
In the Ionian Islands, a drinking water treatment plant is being installed on Zakynthos.
In Crete, water distribution networks are being upgraded in Viannos.
Mr. Papastavrou, after signing the decision, stated: “Today, as part of the ‘Drinking Water Supply and Water Management’ axis of the Sectoral Development Program of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, we have signed off on funding for 10 projects on 9 islands across the country, aimed at improving infrastructure and water supply networks. Today’s signing is not a piecemeal measure. It is part of a comprehensive policy for the responsible management of water resources, based on planning, cooperation, and a focus on the regions facing the greatest pressures. It follows the National Water Strategy that we put out for public consultation the day before yesterday. And it precedes the bill to address the fragmentation of water service providers, which is imminent. The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has proven that it stands by the regions and especially by our islands. Not with words, but with actions. With resources, projects, and initiatives that improve daily life.”
SOURCE: APE