The significant drop in water levels at the Mornos artificial lake due to a sharp decrease in rainfall and this year’s drought has uncovered the submerged village of Kallio in Fokida.
According to EYDAP data cited by the Guardian, the water level at Mornos had decreased by 30% at the beginning of July compared to the same period last year, before the high temperatures in Greece.
Kostas Koutsoumbas, the village’s deputy mayor, told the Guardian that the water level has dropped by 40 meters this year.
Mornos was built in the late 1970s to supply water to Athens, and around 80 buildings in Kallio were submerged to achieve this.
“It’s a nightmarish situation,” Apostolos Gerodimos, leader of a 60-member community relocated near Athens when the dam was built, told the Guardian. “As the water level continues to drop, more submerged buildings are re-emerging. If it doesn’t rain this winter, the problem will worsen significantly.”
As the extended drought poses a major problem across the country, EYDAP plans to invest 750,000,000 to address the issue.
The Guardian reports that the water shortage has become a critical issue, affecting popular islands that rely on wells and desalination plants, especially as unprecedented tourist arrivals place increasing pressure on resources.
