Tinos: Battle Against Water Scarcity and a Bold Proposal for Swimming Pools

The Greek islands of Tinos and Alonissos have been declared in a state of emergency due to severe water shortages. This declaration, requested by the island's mayor, Panagiotis Kronhtiras, is intended to provide a long-term safeguard for the island's water security and overcome bureaucratic hurdles.

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Tinos, along with Alonissos, has been declared in a state of emergency, following our request regarding water scarcity and a decision by the Minister of Environment and the proposal of the Regulatory Water Authority and the Secretariat of Island Policy. The purpose is to clarify that Tinos will not be thirsty in the summer; we do not have an immediate problem with water. The declaration is a tool, it is our shield, so that the problem does not come to our door.

Mayor Kronhtiras explained that the emergency status acts as a shield, enabling the swift implementation of solutions like desalination plants. This proactive measure aims to prevent water scarcity issues during the peak summer season. He emphasized that the immediate water supply is not currently in crisis, but the declaration is a tool to preemptively address potential problems.

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What is happening is to bypass bureaucratic situations. We must immediately rent two desalination units. Funding was released a week ago from the Ministry of Island Policy. If we had gone through the normal procedures, without declaring Tinos in a state of emergency, we would have them in 5 months, and it would be winter, when they would not be needed.

"The declaration is a tool, it is our shield, so that the problem does not come to our door," Kronhtiras stated. He added that the standard procedures for acquiring two desalination units would normally take five months, by which time winter would have arrived. The emergency declaration allows for these units to be operational within 15 to 20 days.

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With this tool we have in our hands since yesterday, we will carry out the procedure provided for Tinos and for all islands and for all areas that are declared in a state of emergency, and in 15-20 days we will have the desalination plants operating.

Beyond securing supply, the municipality is considering stricter water usage policies. A proposal suggests banning private swimming pools, as many are currently full, and limiting water use for lawns in vacation properties. The mayor believes legislation should change to allow pools to be filled with seawater or water from dedicated desalination units, ensuring that essential water resources are prioritized.

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We believe, and we want it, that private pools should be abolished in Tinos. I do not think that houses should have pools, all houses, as is happening now in Tinos. We say that the legislation must change. At this moment, the pools are full in Tinos. And mainly, what we propose is that pools should be able to be filled with seawater or with water that will be provided by a desalination plant that will operate only for them.