Water scarcity in Greece Water scarcity in Greece | Page 18

In areas dependent on tourism, and particularly in the Aegean islands, conflicts are very
intense. During the summer months, water demand reaches its peak both for irrigation and
domestic supply; in some islands the summer peak can reach up to thirty times the domestic
needs of the permanent population. As the domestic supply takes priority over the use for
irrigation, conflicts invariably arise between the municipal water suppliers and the local
farmers.
Water resources in the Greek islands are very limited, and with few exceptions consist of
groundwater contained in the local aquifers. The amount of water that can be abstracted is limited,
as overabstraction of those aquifers leads to salinization of the water rendering it mostly unusable.
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The soils in the islands are extremely vulnerable to erosion, with resulting problems in the water
resources (reservoir sedimentation, stream bed stability etc.).