Greek islands: Fighting water shortages with desalination

It is hot and sticky inside the crowded ferry approaching the coast of Naxos. When the ferry docks, the tourists, who are laden down with baggage, surge forward, impatient to disembark. It takes about half an hour for everyone to leave the ferry.

The port is extremely busy: Cars honk horns, motorcycles weave in and out between vehicles, a taxi driver gesticulates in an animated fashion while talking loudly on his phone. To the left is a large coach waiting to take the tourists to their accommodation.

The tourists here are looking forward to their vacation. What most of them don't know is that the Greek islands are running out of water. The problem is particularly acute right now in the summer months, when thousands of holidaymakers throng to the Aegean Islands, one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe.

This influx of visitors puts a huge strain on the islands' water infrastructure — some of which is old or even non-existent. This is definitely the case on Naxos, the largest island in the Cyclades, which is popular with holidaymakers from April to October.

"We chose Naxos because of the beautiful beaches for the children and the inexpensive accommodation," says German tourist Anja Kellermann, who is here with her husband and two children.

When asked whether she is aware of the water shortage on the island, she is dismayed. "We had no idea that the situation is so serious," she tells DW.

No rainfall in almost nine months

The entire Mediterranean region is increasingly suffering from drought and the effects of climate change. The situation in Greece — and above all on most islands in the Aegean — is particularly bad.

This year, Greece has been plagued by major forest fires, deadly heat waves and water shortages. At present, water reserves on Naxos have almost been used up.

In August, water is a luxury here. The reservoirs are nearly empty, and many wells have run dry. The heat and drought this year have been particularly extreme. There has been no rainfall on Naxos for almost nine months.

The impact of the dwindling water reserves on the locals is especially tough because, thanks to its very fertile soil, Naxos is the only island in the Cyclades with a significant agricultural sector.

Most of the island's residents work in agriculture, which is why tourism has become even more important as a source of income on the island this year.

Some farmers are giving up

Kyriakos Kalogeitonas has been running a hotel and a campsite in Maragas, in the southwest of the island, since 1987.

"This year in particular, because agricultural production has decreased so dramatically, I am seeing many farmers switching to the tourism sector," Kalogeitonas tells DW, adding that he has never experienced a drought like this.

"I have no choice but to buy water for my system and have to check water supplies twice a day to manage them correctly," he explains.

Kalogeitonas says that many tourists are not aware of the water shortage. Indeed, some guests recently told him that he really should water the plants and flowers in the garden.

Kalogeitonas is already considering buying a private seawater desalination unit because he doesn't think the situation will improve in the long term: "I don't think that things will get better for us. Even if there is more rainfall in one year, that doesn't solve the problem. If it doesn't rain the year after that, we are back to square one."

Desalination plant as an emergency solution

Tourists don't really notice how bad things are, among other things, because the tourism sector gets water from desalination plants, in particular those near the port. These units are housed in white containers opposite the port, which are easy to miss if you don't know what they are.

There are currently four desalination plants on Naxos, which are capable of producing 3,600 cubic meters (127,000 cubic feet) of usable water from sea water in 24 hours. The plants were installed to meet the increased demand for water on the island in the summer months.

The neighboring islands of Koufonisi, Schinoussa, Iraklia and Donousa have also been operating desalination plants for several years.

"This is a very modern technology, but the costs associated with it are high," Mayor Dimitris Lianos tells DW.

Because the desalination plants are near the port of Naxos, the water can only be used in the surrounding area. "It's a huge problem for us that the water cannot be transported from one place to the next because we don't have the necessary infrastructure," says Lianos.

Transportation costs are too high

Georgios Koutsianas checks the pH of the water every hour and monitors the system. In the event of a power outage, he gets an alert on his phone. 

Koutsianas sees the high potential of the plants, but he also emphasizes the downside: "Because of climate change, desalination is the quickest method. Reservoirs are useless if it doesn't rain. But the plants consume a huge amount of electricity."

While the desalination plants ensure a supply of water for tourists in the coastal region in the summer months, they are not a solution for agriculture on Naxos — above all because there is no suitable infrastructure to transport the water inland, and transportation by tanker is much too expensive.

Wells have run dry

Just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the port, the repercussions of this are visible. Farmer Stelios Vathrakokoilis will not be able to plant a single Naxos potato this fall. Vathrakokoilis is standing in his fallow field, looking at the bare soil. Where once there were Naxos potato plants as far as the eye could see, now there is just parched earth.

Potatoes have long been one of the main agricultural products in the Cyclades, and the potatoes grown here are popular across Greece. Because of the water shortage, the farmer was only able to plant just under eight hectares this year. Last year, it was just under 22 hectares, and in the years before that, up to 80 hectares. The well in Vathrakokoilis' field is 14 meters (45 feet) deep. It has been dry since early May.

"There isn't a single drop of water left. We've had difficult years in the past, but the damage this year is simply irreparable," Vathrakokoilis tells DW.

"The situation is dramatic. The sad thing is that the future of agriculture on the island is in danger," he says, looking out across his dry, empty field.

Will the Naxos potato disappear?

Dimitris Kapounis, the president of the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Naxos, has already declared an emergency. "We used to produce an average of 6,000 tons. In 2023, it was just 4,000, and in spring 2024, just 1,800," he tells DW. "Our supplies will last until early October at the latest. Then there will be no more Naxos potatoes."

While the locals are extremely worried and don't know how they are going to cope with the situation moving forward, tourists continue to enjoy their vacation on the beach at Plaka, just 5 kilometers south of the port.

Athens resident Despina Krassa is a regular visitor to the island. Unlike most foreign tourists, however, she is aware of the water problem on Naxos. In the inland village of Filoti, where she likes to spend her vacation, there are often water outages.

"I try to watch my water consumption as best I can," she says. "After all, water is precious."

This article was originally published in German.