The southeastern Aegean Sea island of Leros was declared Monday in a state of emergency due to drought for another three months to allow work to improve water management policies.
The largely symbolic designation followed approval by Environment Ministry officials.
Over the past year, Corfu and Meganissi in the Ionian Sea and Leros, Patmos, Astypalea and Symi in the Aegean – as well as the Greater Athens region – have been declared in a state of emergency due to drought.
While triggered by a real longterm shortage of sufficient potable water, the designation is largely sought for bureaucratic reasons as it allows local authorities to fast-track measures to improve the water supply such as by leasing desalination plants.
The majority of Greece’s arid Aegean Sea islands have always faced water shortages due to the climate and deforestation largely caused by over-grazing, and traditional methods of saving water have been increasingly abandoned.
