While drought and water shortages rage elsewhere in Europe, Greece is looking forward to a lot of water this summer. According to Greek water company EYDAP, the reservoirs for the greater Athens area, home to more than a third of the country’s inhabitants, are fuller than they have been in years.
They currently hold about 1.14 billion cubic meters of water – and it continues to rain in many places. It even snowed on Mount Olympus, Greece’s highest mountain range, Skai reports. The heavy, sometimes very heavy rainfall of the past weeks and months is responsible for the good water situation. According to Greek meteorologists, they are unusual for the time of year in Greece.
Tourists needed umbrellas
This was especially felt by the tourists, who suddenly had to rely on umbrellas for days on end in the normally sunny and warm holiday regions of the country. Even on Crete, far in the south of the country, but also on the Peloponnese peninsula and the otherwise fairly dry Cyclades such as Mykonos, Naxos and Paros, it rained again and again.
Sometimes there were floods and power cuts; in some places, farmers also complained of hail and sleet, which destroyed crops. All in all, the damage was limited. Instead, much to the relief of the people, the risk of fire was averted by the rain.
Risk of forest fires significantly reduced
Last summer, Greece fought devastating forest fires that destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of nature. So far, the forest fire balance has been quite mild this summer. The fire hazard is currently classified nationally by the fire service as low to slightly elevated.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
