Page 196 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - SEPT 2025

Resources under pressure

Seasonal water scarcity conditions for European countries in 2022, measured by the water are in good ecological condition, with
exploitation index plus (WEI+) pressures from agriculture, pollution,
Source: European Environment Agency
and climate change all contributing to
the issue.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
The EEA’s Europe’s State of Water 2024
Cyprus (Q3) outlined the challenges of protecting
and restoring aquatic ecosystems,
Malta (Q3)
delivering on the zero pollution ambi-
Portugal (Q3) tion, and adapting to water scarcity,
drought and floods.
Greece (Q3)
To monitor scarcity and drought in
Spain (Q3) near-real time, the European Drought
Observatory (EDO) compiles maps
Romania (Q3)
and indicators across the continent; its
Italy (Q3) bulletins since 2022 have repeatedly
highlighted southern Europe’s persis-
Denmark (Q3)
tent water deficits.
France (Q3)
Greece’s water reality: A Mediterra-
Belgium (Q3)
nean hot spot
Poland (Q3) In Greece, agriculture accounts for
approximately 86% of the country’s
Netherlands (Q3)
water consumption, with a significant
Germany (Q3) portion of this allocation occurring
through open channels and older irri-
Czechia (Q3)
gation practices that result in substan-
Estonia (Q3) tial water losses due to evaporation and
seepage. Similarly, old urban water sup-
Austria (Q3)
ply networks often have significant leak-
Hungary (Q3) ages that frequently exceed 20-30% of
the total water supply. Several projects
Bulgaria (Q3)
are underway to improve the irrigation
Luxembourg (Q3) and domestic supply networks, but a
lot more is needed to minimise water
Ireland (Q3)
losses at an acceptable level.
Slovenia (Q3) Tourism also puts pressure on water
Lithuania (Q3) resources by increasing demand when
supply is limited. Especially, islands
Finland (Q3) with small aquifers and limited water
Slovakia (Q3) resources face peak consumption in July
and August, the driest months of the
Latvia (Q3) year. In recent summers, several islands

Sweden (Q3) declared water emergencies, restricting
non-essential uses and attempting to
Croatia (Q3) install desalination units in a short time
Turkey (Q3) period.
Additionally, we can see that the cli-
North Macedonia (Q3)
mate shifts from floods to dry condi-
Albania (Q3) tions at a glance. In September 2023,
Storm Daniel devastated Thessaly with
Bosnia & Herzegovina (Q3)
record rainfall, resulting in loss of life
Serbia (Q3) and destruction of water infrastructure,
including irrigation networks and pump-
Switzerland (Q3)
ing stations. Nevertheless, Thessaly still
Iceland (Q3) faces an annual water deficit and needs
to undertake urgent measures to sus-
Norway (Q3)
tain the irrigation of the existing crops.
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