There were only a few people left in the village of Kallio when it was systematically flooded by the dammed waters of the Mornos River in the late 1970s. Due to the ongoing drought in Greece, parts of the village have now resurfaced.
This year, Greece is drier than it has been in more than 30 years. The drought is also threatening the capital, Athens – the Mornos reservoir, located about 250 kilometres to the west and which has supplied the metropolis with water for 50 years, has shrunk by a quarter in the past two years, according to the state weather authority. in Athens.
Now the drought is creating dramatic images of a village that once sank in the floodwaters of the artificial lake. “I grew up there; there were about 80 houses there,” says a former resident in an interview with the Open channel. Leaving the village was not particularly tragic – some neighbors went to Athens, others to nearby villages.
Ruins and foundation walls can be seen again
Now the ruins and foundation walls are coming to light again: the school, the church. It is not the first time that former residents are amazed by the remains. During an extreme water shortage in 1993, people were able to wander among the ruins.
Even now, the otherwise almost deserted area still attracts spectators. But the issue is serious, says Kimon Chatzibiros, professor of ecology and environmental policy at the Technical University of Athens. If the coming winter is as rainy and mostly snowless as the last one, water-saving measures will have to be taken in Athens next year, he warned journalists. In a first step, this included a ban on washing cars with a garden hose, but also the obligation to repair leaking pipes.
The reservoir shrank from 17 to 12 km²
Based on satellite data, meteorologists from the Greek Meteorological Office have calculated that the surface area of the Mornos reservoir has shrunk from just over 17 square kilometers to about twelve square kilometers over the past two years.
The sharpest drop has occurred in the past 12 months. It is one of many negative weather records in Greece this year: people have suffered from unusually high temperatures all summer, and in many places it has not rained at all for months.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
