The Greek opposition party SYRIZA is demanding a final and binding agreement with Bulgaria on the waters of the Arda River. This is what the electronic publication “Agro24” writes. “While the Mitsotakis government boasts about signing the first two of a total of five irrigation projects under a public-private partnership, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund, it is silent about the numerous costs, the burden on the state budget and the taxes that will be imposed on agricultural producers, the lack of rain and the prolonged drought, combined with the pressing issue of joint management of the waters of the Arda River with Bulgaria,” the party said in a joint statement.
Criticism and demands
“This is causing despair among farmers from the Evros regional administration, as for six years no care has been taken to implement the necessary water storage projects. The low level of implementation of the River Basin Management Plans and the Flood Risk Management Plans demonstrates the government’s indifference to the region,” the position reads.
SYRIZA reminds that in order to irrigate, the first and most important thing is to have water. “The necessary infrastructure remained on paper, while delays and inaction led to a drastic reduction in the amount of water available. The recent joint declaration between Greece and Bulgaria on the supply of water from Bulgaria to Greece over the next five years remains an empty letter, as can be seen from the result, as the technical details of this agreement have not been finalized by the competent ministry, thus leaving open critical questions regarding its implementation,” the position reads.
SYRIZA is unhappy that the Greek government is only dealing with communication management of the issue with empty messages, while Bulgaria and Turkey have continued with additional storage projects on their part, providing water for their farmers.
“In fact, it was announced by the Turkish side that an agreement has been reached so that Bulgaria releases water via the Maritsa River, and not via the Arda River. So in Tiheros, Feres and Peplos they hope that this water will also reach their area so that the pumps can work again,” the party states.
What is the solution?
A lasting solution, according to SYRIZA, requires storage infrastructure, improvements to worn-out pipes, replacement of electromechanical equipment and repair of the sluice gate of the Therapio dam, as well as rehabilitation of the Kaliva and Kefalis dams, which have serious leaks due to lack of maintenance.
The lack of functioning hydrometric systems exacerbates the difficulty of management.
“Today, the government’s negligence and inaction are being paid for with lost harvests, a collapse in incomes and despair for thousands of families in Evros. Since July, farmers in the region have been warning that there will be no production because there is no infrastructure. Unfortunately, there is neither a plan, nor the power to negotiate, nor the desire for accountability. And although the government is aware of the scale of the problem, the discrediting of parliamentary control is proverbial,” the opposition party is categorical.
Illustrative Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/river-between-trees-2438/
