Every summer, a city the size of Thessaloniki is “added” to the population of Halkidiki: from 110,000-115,000 inhabitants in the winter, the area reaches an average of over 1 million people in the warm months, while the new settlements they spring up like mushrooms.

The pressure on infrastructure – water supply, sewage, liquid and solid waste management – is enormous, especially given the age of many networks, in some cases up to half a century old. As a result they are recorded water supply interruptionsirregular drilling and illegal dumps in streams and woodlands and landfills at the limits of their capacity.

Furthermore, newly built settlements, but also entire villages – popular tourist destinations do not have biological cleaning in 2024 and serve their sewage needs with domestic cesspools (not always watertight).

But it is not only tourism. Every year in Halkidiki they are published thousands of new building permits. As a hotelier in Halkidiki typically observes, “sometimes the taps drip only drops or entire villas operate with cesspools, but when you take a walk, you see new bettas everywhere”.

The upgrading of infrastructure in Halkidiki is urgent, but only when the municipalities of the region claim funds to upgrade them, they often find closed doors, as sources report to APE-MPE. For example, an area of ​​300 inhabitants can apply for funds to build a biological treatment plant capable of serving 5000 people. The work is absolutely necessary, but the request is difficult to justify in the language of numbers.

One of the possible solutions is the much-discussed Havria Dam, which, since the 1970s, was considered by many sides as the “key” to dealing with the water supply problem, especially in southern and central Halkidiki in the first phase. The dam, with 60 meters high, slightly lower than two …White Towers on top of each other, would be able to meet the water supply needs of hundreds of thousands of people.

However, in June 2023 the tender for the ambitious project was declared barren despite its four extensions, as the three schemes that claimed it in the first phase did not submit binding bids for the project, which was to be implemented with a PPP (Public-Private Partnership Sector).

“We don’t know if the project will remain a PPP or be done with public investment. It is a long-term project, but we cannot rely on it alone, as water demands have increased enormously, not only due to tourism, but also residential development. In Kassandra alone, we had thousands of building permits last year,” said the deputy governor of Halkidiki, Katerina Zografou

In public the “ball”

Some municipalities, adds Ms. Zografouun, are mobilizing to upgrade aging water supply and irrigation networks and others are entering the process of replacing water meters and improving biological treatment where they exist, in order to incorporate technology that will allow the water to be used for irrigation. In addition, desalination projects are being implemented in some areas (e.g., Nikiti). It is also essential to take care of short-term rental accommodation.

Regarding the drainage situation, he says: “the matter concerns only the municipalities. We have the control mechanism and we do not turn a blind eye. Most of the biological treatment plants that exist today in Halkidiki need upgrading, but in many areas they don’t even exist.”

Regarding the waste, Ms. Zografou estimates that “the big problem is not so much the collection, but the illegal dumps created by citizens. When renovations are done to country houses, the streams and even woodlands are filled with rubbish and sofas” and adds that to deal with the problem, a lot of policing and high fines are needed.

An. Halkia, mayor of Kassandra: “In terms of water scarcity, we are an island”

The lack of water is currently the main problem for the municipality of Kassandra, which is supplied with water from boreholes, most of which are located in its western part. “(In terms of water scarcity) we are an island. In the last four years it has rained little” says the mayor of Kassandra, Anastasia Chalkia, pointing out that the problem has worsened due to extensive and unregulated construction, tourism and population growth where there are many country houses.

The municipality of Kassandra is now planning, among other things, the creation of a seawater desalination refinery, with a budget of more than 15 million euros, as well as dams. Also, solutions are estimated to be able to provide a holistic program, totaling 70 million euros for four municipalities in total, which in the case of Kassandra concerns three villages: Pefkohori, Hanioti and Polychrono.

The program, which foresees new boreholes for water supply, as well as the upgrading of biological purification systems, so that the liquid waste can be used – after treatment – for irrigation and the solid waste for composting, is expected to be completed within three years from its start.

In addition, by the end of 2024, two desalination units are expected to be completed, in Pefkohori and Stavronikita. “However, water management is not simply a matter of infrastructure, but a collective matter. In the coming years, water will have more value than oil,” he estimates.

It is noted that from 17,000 inhabitants in the winter, the municipality of Kassandra hosts around 600,000 people in the summer. And yet, popular areas of the peninsula – Skioni, Loutra Agia Paraskevi (Beach), Paliouri and Kriopigi – do not have biological cleaning. Solid waste management is also an important problem. Although in Kassandra there are three Excavation Construction & Demolition Waste management structures (AEKK) and a fourth is being prepared, citizens prefer to deposit their rubble in streams, in forests or even in the sea.

G. Tassios, president of the Hotel Union (EXX): The three “thorns”

“The three biggest problems of Halkidiki in terms of infrastructure, in relation to tourism, are the water supply, the environmental management of liquid and solid waste and spatial planning” estimates the president of EXX, Grigoris Tassios. Among other things, he notes that the data in the tourist activity have changed, the drought “dropped” the water table level, while Halkidiki is 99% supplied with water from boreholes for water supply and irrigation of crops, earlier and earlier. “In the olive groves, until five-seven years ago, irrigation started in May, but now it starts in March” he notes and adds that order needs to be brought to the new settlements outside the plan, where the state of the networks is labyrinthine.

Regarding drainage, Halkidiki is served to a large extent by cesspools (mainly sealed, but unfortunately also absorbent), especially in the areas where there is no sewage system and biological cleaning. “For 40 years, hotels, regardless of size and category, have largely been obliged to have biological cleaning and to manage what is left over. Personally, as a hotelier, I pay 700 euros a month just to transport the dried sewage sludge to a special unit in Skydra for disposal,” he notes.

He adds that in solid waste, “there are still landfills that are filling up. In the municipality of Polygyros, Kassandra, Anthemounda are at the limits and need expansion, while a few months ago a landfill was opened in the municipality of Aristoteli. And this while all of Europe has abolished landfills (Sanitary Waste Landfills) and we had to create LANDFILLS (Sanitary Waste Landfills). Collection is also problematic in terms of frequency, both in normal and blue bins, while now that the brown ones (organic waste) have also appeared, it turns out that we are still not ready. Hotels with more than 100 beds are currently the only businesses required by law to manage organic waste themselves, which means costs. The law provides that when you manage them yourself there is an exemption from the municipal fees, but this is not applied”, says Mr. Tasios.

Spatial planning “shows” as the third most important problem. “We have no excuse not to participate in the public consultation on the spatial planning of tourism and the Special Spatial Plans until 15/9, as through them the future of Haklidiki and tourism is decided for the next 30 years. As EXX we are ready to cooperate with the TEE of Halkidiki to submit proposals” he concludes.