The combined effects of climate change and increased tourism are placing ever-increasing pressure on water supplies in the Mediterranean. Water supply in the Greek islands has always been problematic and residents have traditionally used cisterns to collect winter rainfall for use in the summer. On some small islands water has been shipped in by boat, but this is becoming increasingly expensive. A few have installed desalination units, which provide a quick solution to water shortages but are energy-hungry and require constant maintenance – which has led to some falling into disuse. However, modern pressures have led to a resurgence of interest in desalination, the island of Gavdos being a recent example.
Fears of a water shortage on the remote island of Gavdos have prompted the recommissioning of a desalination plant, which will operate in the area of Selakia, on the central eastern coast of the island, and will be used purely for drinking water.
Speaking to Haniotika Nea, the mayor of Gavdos Lilian Stefanaki said: “we have an old desalination unit which was donated to the island and had been out of action for many years. However, seeing the problems which we have and the climatic conditions which have prevailed over the past few years, we decided to activate it, as it is an immediate solution to slightly increase the available quantities of water which we will have in the summer, especially in July and August.”
Asked how they would go about this and what was needed to make the unit operational, the mayor said: “We asked for some money and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs [and Insular Policy] approved an amount of about €13,000 to bring the desalination plant back into operation. So now we have the two boreholes and this small desalination plant, which will slightly increase the amount of available water. … We have talked to the company who deal with desalination and maintenance, and it will start to operate in the middle of June.”
As regards the expectations from the operation of the desalination unit, Ms Stefanaki explained that the unit produces around 3 litres of water an hour and the aim is for the island not to be on the verge of running out of water as it was last summer. “We want to have enough water so that we are not constantly in a critical situation,” she said. “We don’t want any settlement to be without water.”
Regarding the energy required for the operation of the desalination unit, the mayor said “desalinators are energy-hungry devices and that means there is a cost which is passed on to the consumer. With this unit we aim to cover any shortfalls which may arise from the boreholes. This way we can operate the boreholes without overloading them, with any shortfalls made up by the desalinator. We aim to have a balance between the boreholes and desalination which is safe and as economical as possible for the island.”
Also a “water kiosk”
A “water kiosk” is also planned for the island, so that citizens can have immediate access to drinking water. “With the same decision, they also approved a water kiosk, which is a kind of very small desalination unit. It produces water which is desalinated and sterilised, and which citizens can collect, for instance in a jerrycan. These devices have been in use for years in the Aegean islands with great success and they avoid the proliferation of plastic water bottles,” the mayor said.
(Haniotika Nea, 24/04/25)