Democracy is a concept everyone is fond of invoking, and everyone is “thirsty” for… Its core principle is the defense and protection of fundamental human rights. So can we say democracy exists, if access to basic goods such as water is not a given?
Usually, when we refer to human rights, our thoughts go first to life and liberty, security and freedom of expression, education and health. Which is to say we overlook the importance of access to adequate amounts of clean water as a fundamental right. Why? Because we take water for granted.
However, this is certainly not the case all over the world, and we are already seeing the water-related impacts of climate change spreading to the western world, where prolonged periods of drought and water scarcity are becoming commonplace.
At the same time, we see water being wasted, overused and mismanaged all around us, accompanied by attempts to privatize water. But what kind of democracy will we have when clean water starts to become a scarce commodity managed by a few?
As recently as 2010, the UN recognized “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights” in Resolution 64/292.
Its 6th Sustainable Development Goal also calls for ensuring that water is available and sustainably managed for all” by 2030, so unequal access to water simply isn’t an option. At the EU level, Water Directive 2000/60/EC, as well as the subsequent European Parliament Resolutions of 14 March 2019, 18 January 2023 and 2 April 2025, also specify the public and universal nature of water.
Which is to say that water is recognized as our most precious commodity and made an inalienable right. Without access to clean water, every other right loses its meaning, with water highlighted as a fundamental requirement for a life lived with dignity. The public nature of water is made self-evident, since only then will no citizen be excluded from enjoying access to it.
In the light of the severity and multifaceted nature of its impacts, climate change stands out among the numerous and diverse problems that confront modern societies on a daily basis. And among its many impacts, the depletion of natural resources stands out, with drinking water the resource which is drying up the fastest.
The wells that ran dry
The Cyclades have been especially affected by this phenomenon, with over-tourism exacerbating the situation still further. Sadly, the traditional ways of collecting, sharing and communally managing the islands’ water are disappearing. Let’s take our island, Kea or Tzia, as an example, which was known as “Ydrousa” or “The Watery Isle” in the past, in light of the abundance of its water.
Taking advantage of this blessing, the islanders built fountains in several places, which formed a community-use network and served as a literal “source of life”. This system made it easier for the islanders to obtain the water they needed to cover their daily needs, which included crops cultivation, livestock farming, washing clothes, etc., while also helping to develop social relations and social cohesion on Kea.
Understandably, the islanders’ habits have changed as the water supply has dwindled and the fountains and springs have largely dried up. With the water in a significant number no longer drinkable, only a few remain that have even a trickle of running water.
Today, homes and public cisterns are supplied with water from boreholes when the natural sources run dry in June or thereabouts. Of course, there are mountains of plastic bottles now, though thankfully most are destined to be recycled. The water supply network is old, where it exists at all, and the water is not fit for human consumption.
We visited the Municipality of Kea and talked to the competent officials at the water board and municipal authorities. According to what we were told, the lack of water is a “real problem”, as “we see our water supplies decreasing year on year. We see this in the springs, but also in our water infrastructure. It is certainly an issue to which we have devoted a great deal of thought, and it should be a matter of concern for all of us, in terms of how we use the water we have”.
Why would anyone want a swimming pool in the Cyclades?
Our interlocutors also stressed that “the big problem for us and the rest of the islands in the arid Cycladic group—and probably for the whole of Greece, for that matter—are the swimming pools. I don’t think anyone needs a swimming pool when they’re on an island surrounded by crystalline waters and whose sea, beaches and sand are available for them to enjoy. Pools are essentially a form of conspicuous consumption in the majority of cases. Unfortunately, the owners of rooms for rent on the island have started adding pools recently, too, to the delight of their customers. Of course, another factor over and beyond the proliferation of swimming pools is watering. The amount of water used to keep an entire hillside green is enormous, and naturally it is water we need for domestic use, and for irrigation”.
In fact, as well as making the water problem still more acute, the planting of non-native flora is harming our biodiversity. But what about the supply of drinking water on the island? Our interlocutors report that “efforts are being made to make the water drinkable”, but how well this can be done depends on various factors. Water purification machines have been installed in central parts of the island, however, where there used to be clean running water.
Desalination plants
Transporting water by boat to the Cyclades and Ionian islands is, fortunately, almost a thing of the past. But while desalination plants are in operation on many, which solve the problem to a certain extent by making it possible to have water on tap 24/7, the problem of their energy-intensive operation, the environmental impact of disposing of the waste they produce, and the need for constant repairs and maintenance to the water supply infrastructure remain. And let us not forget the extra strain the rise in tourism places on the islands, increasing their need for support.
However, the issue of clean drinking water as a universal human right remains. Can our islands enjoy equal opportunities for sustainable development when clean and drinkable water remains in short supply, and climatic conditions are sure to exacerbate the problem further? So let us all ask ourselves this: is democracy endangered when some are deprived of life’s most precious commodity?
Because, let us not forget that democracy means more than voting in elections or enjoying freedom of speech; it also includes equal access to the basic goods required to ensure a decent life. And water, as a fundamental human right, is one of them. So, since access to clean and potable water is restricted, the equality citizens have a right to enjoy is effectively being violated.
This article was originally published in the insert “The European BHMA” published with “TO BHMA on Sunday” on 11 May 2025.
