Cyclades: 2.8 million euros to 13 municipalities for desalination

An amount of 5,000,000 euros is being distributed to municipalities across the country exclusively for operating expenses of desalination units, under a decision by the Minister of Interior, Theodoros Livanios. According to the published allocation, thirteen Cyclades municipalities receive a total of 2,801,569.75 euros, an amount corresponding to more than 56% of the total. The amounts cover operating costs, mainly electricity, maintenance and consumables for the units, not the construction of new facilities. The concentration of more than half the resources in a single island group reflects how dependent the Cyclades are on artificial production of drinking water.

The largest share goes to Thira, with 593,082.18 euros. Syros-Ermoupoli follows with 496,677.32 euros, and Naxos and Small Cyclades with 443,925.27 euros. Mykonos receives 257,215.21 euros, Paros 249,770.70 euros, Tinos 171,839.05 euros, Milos 142,992.71 euros and Ios 106,128.71 euros. Smaller amounts go to Sifnos with 103,561.05 euros, Amorgos with 83,812.21 euros, Kythnos with 56,482.14 euros, Antiparos with 51,776.21 euros and Folegandros with 44,306.99 euros. The ranking broadly follows the scale of each island’s tourist traffic, with the top three absorbing more than half of the Cycladic total.

For the islands of the Cyclades, desalination is not a supplementary solution but, in many cases, the main source of drinking water in summer, when the population multiplies and natural sources are not enough. The operating cost weighs on municipal budgets in exactly the months of highest consumption, which is why the allocation covers current rather than investment spending. The scale of the issue is clear from the picture of recent months: in Amorgos, desalination units were inaugurated at Katapola, while the Municipality of Antiparos had published advice on saving water for residents and visitors. Earlier in the summer, an allocation of 3.27 million euros to 19 municipalities in the region had also been announced.

The figures given here come from the published allocation, as reproduced by Kykladiki, and have not been cross-checked against a second source. At the time of writing, the online posting number of the decision on Diavgeia could not be found, to check the individual shares per municipality directly against the original document. The next step is for the amounts to be credited to the eligible municipalities and recorded under the corresponding budget codes, so they can be used within the current fiscal year. Whether the amounts cover each unit’s actual annual operating cost does not emerge from the available announcement, nor is it stated on what criteria each municipality’s share was calculated.