Water management in the Municipality of Tripoli

Flood protection:

Ladies and gentlemen

Everything shows that this year we are going through the hottest and driest year of the last decades.

At the same time, we are observing intense rainfall, storms and flooding phenomena with catastrophic consequences in places, Thessaly, Volos and elsewhere.

The Municipality of Tripoli is immune to such eventualities. Only the streams of Agiothanasis and Agionikolas will drown half of Tripoli even if they receive half the amount of water that fell in Volos.

The only anti-flood project that was attempted in the Zevgolati-Neochori area was stopped before it even started because the studies done for it turned out to be inadequate.

The Municipality of Tripoli must claim without delay the preparation of studies for the wider area and funding for the execution of the required projects both in the area of ​​Zevgolatiou-Neochoriu-Stenou-Agiorgitikon and for the Agionikola-Agiothanasis streams and elsewhere.

Water supply – Irrigation:

The management of water supply and drainage in the Municipality of Tripoli, as in most municipalities of the country, is the responsibility of the Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Company of Tripoli (DEWA-T).

The DEYAs as mentioned in the law 1069/1980 are NPIDs and are governed by the rules of the private economy, they operate with private economic criteria in the context of reciprocity!

Based on these principles that were based on the rules of the free economy, on the logic of “cost-benefit” and gradually adapting the reactionary EU directives. the course of commercialization of water was set up to date, passing on the ever-increasing cost of management to the popular strata through the bills that gradually increased. A series of taxes were imposed such as the VAT of 24% on the value of water, 80% on its value for new projects and other fees, which burdened the bills while the state gradually withdrew from any obligation to support them!

It is typical that the DEYAs are charged for their energy-intensive facilities such as biological cleaning and pumping stations, very expensive electricity since they are not subject to the industrial tariff but to the household tariff, i.e. they pay almost three times more electricity than the industrialists for facilities of the same power!

At the same time, all these years, the services have been consciously discredited, through the understaffing that is red-hot with the ban on hiring, the implementation and expansion of flexible working relationships, the lack of necessary means, with the aim of a number of services and sectors “objectively” passing into the hands of contractors and private individuals who come every time as saviors to save us. Because of this policy, the few workers who are left in DEYA in relation to the real needs, fight every day an unequal battle to cope with the big problems, without having the necessary means.

This policy has been served over time by all governments, but also by local municipal authorities, who have shaped and reinforced this entire management framework by today’s providers such as DEYA. It is clear that privatization was promoted through the back door of businesses in the name of the public nature of water. Which, of course, essentially becomes the stepping stone for the next step in the course of privatization.

With a new unacceptable bill, the government promotes the merger of DEYA by creating larger companies. In other words, a plan to completely overturn the map of the water sector in the country is moving forward by “stepping” on the recent transformation of the RAE into a Waste, Energy and Water Regulatory Authority. The most likely scenario is a DEWA per Region which will then be swallowed up by the monopolies.

The beginning will be made by EYDAP and EYATH after first absorbing DEYA neighbors.

The people will literally say the water is water and will put their hand even deeper in their pocket and indeed for services that will be degraded! The same applies to the bio-warrior farmers who will pay even more expensive water with the inclusion of irrigation agencies in this or that bill.

After all, we have gathered bitter experience from the huge increases in the price of electricity, the energy exchanges, etc. in which RAE has the leading role.

Water is the most valuable commodity and we must aggressively prevent the plans for mergers of the DEYAs, the privatization-commercialization.

To claim:

-Immediate recruitment of permanent staff mainly technicians.

-Funding from national and community resources for the construction of water supply and sewerage projects.

– Upgrading the organic to a higher level to be able to respond to the modern needs of the Municipality and to produce a significant amount of irrigation water that the farmers of the area need.

– The abolition of VAT on the price of water.

-State financial aid to cover needs from high energy costs.

-Strengthening DEVAT’s equipment so that they can carry out the projects independently.

-Cheap tested, quality water with an immediate reduction of all tariffs and mainly for unemployed, low-paid, low-pensioners.

Irrigation:

While the Lake TAKA reservoir has been completed for decades now, the main canals such as at Valtetsorema and the stream on the Manthyrea side have yet to connect to the lake. As a result, on the one hand, the lake is deprived of water from the two main feeders, and on the other hand, the waters flood the areas around the lake.

The maximum level of the lake is 19 meters and the minimum (safety level) is 11 meters, therefore the amount of water available for irrigation is specific, the irrigated areas can be easily estimated and the necessary networks and other projects can be carried out, political will is needed. .

Given that the lake is not supported by spring water and is fed only by rainwater, the reservoir must be full when the irrigation season begins and this cannot be done without connecting the two main canals.

Especially this year which is a difficult year the lake level is now before the growing season has even started just a little above the lowest level.

This unacceptable situation cannot continue, we must immediately demand the connection of the reservoir feeding channels and the irrigation works.

We are fed up with promises from government actors.

As for what is said that one puts the burden on hydroplanes and the other on irrigation, these are excuses from those who do nothing.

If they wanted everything they could do it, seaplanes hydrate in two meters of water, Taka has a minimum level of 11 meters.

The small irrigation networks in Athens, Manthyrea, Dara and Arahamites have limited possibilities and the necessary works must be done to increase the amount of irrigable water. Let me remind you that a specific unanimous decision of our Municipal Council has been pending for Athens for two years now.

In the Kandila marsh, which is managed by the Local Organization for Vascular Improvements (TOEB), there are also significant problems there. In addition to high energy costs there are problems with the drainage of the marsh and the main roads are in poor condition.

Our Municipality has significant potential to improve the primary sector, but the necessary projects and infrastructure are missing, such as water table enrichment projects, water reservoirs, networks and roads.

While we do not claim the self-evident, the government, implementing the directions of the EU, promotes the delivery of irrigation to Anonymous companies using Thessaly as a precursor for the whole country.

In closing, I would like to point out once again that the upcoming changes in water lead to the further commercialization of goods and services, to serve big business interests, placing additional burdens on the people.

We, the Municipal Council of Tripoli, have a duty to defend the interests of our citizens.