The water supply of the greater Athens area is under severe pressure as the Mornos reservoir — the region’s main source — has dropped to a 15-year low, raising fears of shortages.
Water Reserves Collapse
According to official data from the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP), water reserves have plunged to 192.8 million cubic meters — 64% below the average level of 2010–2024. Drone footage from Orange Press captures the stark decline, showing the shoreline receding dramatically. The situation is most striking at Kallio, the village submerged in 1980 to create the reservoir. Today, large sections of the old settlement have resurfaced.
The Science Behind the Crisis
“This is the worst situation we’ve seen in at least a decade,” says Kostas Lagouvardos, Research Director at the National Observatory of Athens. The main culprit, he explains, is the lack of precipitation — particularly snow. “We’ve had two consecutive winters with very limited snowfall, combined with relatively low rainfall. Meanwhile, consumption has remained steady.”
The lake’s current surface area is less than nine square kilometers, down from its normal 14. Last year it covered over 11.5. “Right now, we are at an alarm level,” Lagouvardos warns. “We are not yet at the extremes of the early 1990s — 1993 was the worst year — but without sufficient autumn and winter rains, the outlook is troubling.”
Long-Term Concerns
For Lagouvardos, the long-term challenge lies in Greece’s shrinking snow cover. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve recorded a significant decrease in snow across the country. Snow is the most crucial factor for replenishing our reservoirs.”
To track the crisis, the Observatory has launched the “Mornos Observatory” on meteo.gr, offering open data to raise awareness and support potential measures for water conservation.
As Athens braces for the coming winter, all eyes are on the skies — and whether the rains and snows will come in time to avert a deeper crisis.
