Papastavrou raises awareness on water scarcity
Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou on Wednesday called upon citizens and organisations to "fight" against water scarcity.
Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou on Wednesday called upon citizens and organisations to "fight" against water scarcity. Papastavrou was addressing the first workshop in the series "Water Alliances / Knowledge-Solution-Action for the Future of Water", organised by the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), EYDAP, the TEE-TMEDE Institute and the "We are Greece" Institute.
Starting his speech, Papastavrou emphasised that the problem of water scarcity is common among countries, while he thanked the representatives of organisations from the USA and Israel who were present, who contribute by providing know-how. At the same time, he underlined that the problem for our country is timeless, recalling similar challenges that Greece had faced in the early 1990s.
He outlined the three main goals in the direction of addressing water scarcity. The first concerns improving efficiency, which requires, as he pointed out, "a holistic approach to water supply and irrigation," while the second is the finding and allocation of additional financial resources to strengthen infrastructure, from the repair of irrigation and water supply systems, to the replacement and expansion of networks, desalination, water reservoirs, etc. "These are investments that cost a lot, but we have no more room for delay," he stressed.
Finally, the third goal, Papastavrou stated, is to save water, through raising awareness in society, identifying needs and taking short-term and medium-long-term measures.
"We must all work together, in a coordinated and strategic manner, to overcome this problem, so that our children, the next generations, do not have to face it again," the minister said, calling on everyone to engage in a joint effort against water scarcity.
