Greek government allocates €15 million to improve water supply on nine islands

The Ministry of Environment and Energy, led by Minister St Stavros Papastavrou, signed a decision to incorporate nine island municipalities into the “Drinking‑Water Supply and Water Management” programme of the Ministry’s sectoral development plan. Together with Transport Minister Vasilis Kiklias, the ministers announced funding of ten projects totalling more than €15 million to combat severe water‑scarcity conditions.

The projects will upgrade existing water networks, install new desalination units and build storage facilities on islands including Naxos, Amorgos, Astypalaia, Rhodes, Zakynthos, Lemnos, Spetses, Alonissos and Viannos (Crete). Specific actions involve modernising supply lines on Naxos, constructing a reservoir on Amorgos, adding desalination plants in Astypalaia and Lemnos, and reinforcing the networks on Rhodes and the other islands.

The measures are presented as part of a broader policy framework that follows Greece’s National Water Strategy and precedes a pending bill on water‑service fragmentation, signalling the government’s commitment to strengthen water infrastructure in vulnerable island regions.