The particularly dry summer of 2024 in the Mediterranean has brought back to life homes that had disappeared on a Greek island and threatens the water reserves of the artificial lake that supplies the Athens region.
A church, a school and houses have emerged from the waters. Residents of Lake Mornos on the island of Kallio in Greece have seen a village that was sacrificed and submerged in the late 1970s resurface. Located 200 kilometres west of Athens, the body of water has since been used as a dam.
The phenomenon is caused by major droughts in the country that have significantly reduced the level of Lake Mornos over time. A decrease of around 30% compared to 2023, or 40 meters in height, according to data from Eydap, the water distribution company of Athens and its region. The particularly mild winter and the lack of precipitation have taken their toll on this artificial lake, which is crucial for the 3.7 million inhabitants living in the Athens region, or a third of the Greek population. In 1990, the village had emerged for the first time, following a major drought.
In the region of Lake Mornos, no water restrictions have been announced due to the risk of shortages. But moderation is essential, recalls Eydap: “turn off the tap when you brush your teeth”. Rational water management throughout Greece.
Preserving water resources is also a major challenge during heavy rain events. Global warming increases humidity in the air by 7%, and with it the risk of torrential rains. But the soils, dried out by intense heat, are unable to retain water. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sounded the alarm during a visit to the region of Thessaly, hit by floods in 2023: “We cannot afford to waste water as we have done so far”.
These natural disasters caused by global warming are becoming more severe over time. Last June and July, Greece broke heat records, according to preliminary weather data from the Greek National Observatory. The peak heat exceeded 40°C on July 18, 6°C above the seasonal norm. In the summer of records, on August 11, the worst wildfire of the year broke out, with 10,000 hectares ravaged by flames in the Athens region.
Already criticized a year ago for the poor management of disasters, notably due to the lack of preventive measures, the Greek government had committed to carrying out a «guerre» against climate change. The Prime Minister had announced that he would double the budget allocated to natural disasters, i.e. 600 million euros. In 2024, the criticism is still as strong. On August 13, the NGO Greenpeace Greece urged on the social network X to “stop using the climate crisis as an excuse” and to better anticipate and combat its effects. The organization criticizes in particular not investing enough in “sustainable and clean energy solutions as well as in the planning and implementation of climate crisis adaptation projects”.
This year no forest clearing campaign has been launched, an example of a glaring lack of preventive measures. The vegetation has dried up and become highly flammable. Helicopters, tankers, fire-fighting vehicles and 300 firefighters have been sent to Greece by France, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Turkey and Italy, to help a country overwhelmed by fires.
