Desalination

Year after year, the pressure increases. On the one hand, there is the explosive growth of tourism, followed by an increase in consumption; on the other, there is drought. The small Aegean islands are preparing for the start of the tourist season with their reservoirs empty, their boreholes pumping brackish water, and an increasing dependence on desalination.

Italy is often plagued by drought during the summer months, and last year a "state of emergency" was declared in several regions due to the worst drought that has hit the country in the last 70 years, reports Euractiv.
This year, the situation is expected to worsen as the country experienced extremely low rainfall during the winter.

Huge investments are yet to be made in the water supply systems in Bulgaria and it is extremely important that these funds be used efficiently and effectively. Before spending them in a piecemeal fashion, we should draw on other countries' good practices and experience. This is what President Rumen Radev told journalists after visiting the company that manages the water resources of Jerusalem.

Italian architect Stefano Boeri publicly presented his project for an area not far from the Mexican resort of Cancun. According to many, the idea can become a model for eco-urbanism. It was submitted to the local government in Cancun in March this year and is now pending approval, Channel 3 reports.

The electricity and water supply was finally restored on the Saronic island of Hydra early on Monday afternoon after a day-and-a-half of turmoil for locals and tourists alike. 

A power cut, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, left thousands of visitors to the island without running water or air conditioning for around 35 hours. 

The glamorous Aegean holiday island of Myconos has been plagued by repeated water cuts this summer due to increased power consumption impacting desalination plants.

Authorities attribute the water shortage to the lower productivity of desalination plants due to power cuts caused by the surge in electricity consumption resulting from the arrival of thousands of visitors on the island.

As the tourism season gets under way, the holidays islands in the arid Cyclades are at risk of serious water shortages this summer, with some, like Sifnos, at more risk than others.

Greece's Shipping Industry and the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy have signed a 870,000 euro contract for the construction of a desalination plant on the remote Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo.

Residents in Paphos face the possibility of severe water shortages if there is little rain this winter as plans to construct a new desalination plant for the district continue to move at a sluggish pace.

Unexpected ‘technical difficulties’ have delayed the invitation of tenders for the creation of the new plant in Kouklia leaving the district at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Funds are to be released for repair work on a desalination plant on Kastellorizo, putting an end to the expensive practice of carrying water to the small island.