Irrigation news for Kolymbari

Any reader who has olives to irrigate or a garden to water in the Kolymbari area will already be aware that there is currently a shortage of agricultural water. Whether or not caused by climate the change, this is not a new phenomenon, although it has certainly occurred earlier than usual this year, no doubt as a result of the reduced quantities of snow on Levka Ori during the winter.

Water programme

In the past, in our experience, water shortages have not usually occurred until August and any details about when water would be available have been hard to come by. Each community has a water manager appointed by the local water authority, whose job it is to turn the water on and off in different areas according to availability. How they choose to communicate this to local consumers seems to be a matter of individual initiative. A decade or so ago, in Afrata village, a typewritten sheet would appear on a table in the Kali Kardia – then still a kafenion and local gossip point – giving a weekly plan for water availability. More recently this has lapsed, and information about when water is available seems mostly to be conveyed by word of mouth to those in the know.

This is hardly a satisfactory state of affairs, especially for foreigners who may be imperfectly connected to villages’ underground communication networks, and so it is encouraging to know that a water availability plan has now been published by the Tavronitis branch of the ΤΟΕΒ or Local Land Improvement Organisation for Kolymbari-Agia. The full text of the announcement, published today 3rd July in the Haniotika Nea, is as follows:

T.O.E.B. Kolymbari-Agia                                                                Tavronitis 27/06/2024
Branch: Tavronitis
Tel: 28240 22559

ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHANGE
IN THE PROGRAMME FOR IRRIGATION
WATER

The T.O.E.B. for Agia-Kolymbari, because of the reduced quantities of water in comparison with previous years,

announces

to its consumers that, throughout the low zone (beachside zone) they will be able to irrigate from every Saturday morning until midday Sunday. Also every Tuesday morning until midday Thursday.

We ask farmers who want to irrigate in the high areas from Kondomari to Spilia to try every Monday and Friday throughout the day.

[signed]
THE PRESIDENT
ΚAROUZAKIS EMMANOUIL

Whether agricultural water is actually available during these times will no doubt depend on the amount being used by other consumers.