Policy for management of water resources in Greece

Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 DOI 10.1007/s10669-007-9126-4 Policy for management of water resources in Greece Spyridon Sofios Æ Garyfallos Arabatzis Æ Evangelos Baltas Published online: 14 August 2007
Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007 Abstract The quantities of water are not distributed uniformly in space and time. Greece compared to some other Mediterranean countries is found in advantageous position regarding the availability of water resources. However, there are regions with great in quantity water reserves and others with intense deficiencies. The management of water resources in Greece is concentrated in the systematic spatiotemporal monitoring and forecast of two basic multidimensional parameters, the availability of water resources and the water demand, as well as, in the implementation of necessary measures for the satisfaction of needs, regarding the fields of economy and environment. This work describes and analyses the existing status of water resources in Greece, as well as, the framework of applied policy. Furthermore, measures and actions for the management of water resources are proposed. Keywords Greece Water resources
Policy
Management
S. Sofios Department of Planning and Regional Development, University of Thessaly, Averof 20, Trikala 42100, Greece e-mail: ssofios@prd.uth.gr G. Arabatzis Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, Pantazidou 193, Nea Orestiada 68200, Greece e-mail: garamp@fmenr.duth.gr E. Baltas (&) Department of Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece e-mail: baltas@agro.auth.gr 1 Introduction Water resources constitute the foremost prerequisite for the maintenance of life, as well as, for the evolution of different human activities. The human society seeks to acquire important quantities of water that are essential not only for its existence, but also for the activities that encourage the economic and social development. The development of new activities, the need for further increase in productivity and the improvement in the standard of living, create a growing demand for water of good quality for each use. During the last decades and in particular in the recent years the rapid increase in the population of our planet, as well as, the growing needs of humanity for water impose the efficient management of water resources. Furthermore, in the last years a downward tendency of precipitation height in Greece is observed, which, in combination with high evapotranspiration, may gradually lead to the reduction of the available water reserves. This situation may worsen through the expected climate changes, because of the greenhouse effect (Ministry of Rural Development and Foods 2000). Apart from the pressures to the natural environment resulting from the increase in the greenhouse gases, the changes of land uses constitute an additional pressure on the natural environment and the water resources. The changes of land uses include the changes caused by anthropogenic intervention (cultivations, urbanisation, etc) as well as those caused by natural reasons (e.g. fires) (Mimikou and Fotopoulos 2004). According to Greek Law 1739/87, Water Resources include; (a) the surface and groundwater without discrimination in the quality, origin and their use, (b) water of natural, terrestrial springs, (c) thermometallic water, such as spa, metal and gaseous, and (d) treated waste flows of liquids and other water, that are possible to be recycled and 123 186 used again. The global distribution of the world’s water is depicted on Fig. 1. The quantities of water are not distributed uniformly in space and time on earth. According to Kotoulas (1996), 97.39% of water is found in salty condition in the sea. Fresh water (ices, glaciers, groundwater, soil humidity and atmospheric water) mainly used by the humanity corresponds to 2.61% of total water quantities. Consequently, the efficient management of water resources is considered to be of great social interest. Table 1 depicts the water consumption per capita and per sector across developed and developing countries around the world predicted over the next 20 years. According to Table 1, Greece presents a significant increase as far as the water demand for urban and industrial sectors is concerned. Furthermore a significant decrease for water resources for agricultural purposes, concerning the countries presented on Table 1 is observed. The water resources are characterised by the quantity of water that is available or can be used in sufficient way, the appropriate quality and the duration for the satisfaction of a specific demand. Water resources may also be used as a strategic reserve for the future. Figure 2 shows that in the year 2000, 20% of the world’s total population had no appreciable natural water supply, 65% shared low-to-moderate supplies (  50% of global runoff) and only 15% enjoyed relative abundance (>50% of global runoff). Moreover, the proportion of the global population living in urban areas increased from 29% to Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 47% and it is estimated that by 2010, more than 50% of the global population will be urban dwellers (United Nations 2006). For this reason the water demand for urban uses is expected to be increased in the next few years. Ganoulis (1994) argues that if we define water resources as a system then apart from the subsystem of natural water resources, we have to include the subsystem of water, which artificially the mankind has in its disposal (human water subsystem), as well as, the management subsystem. According to Fig. 3, these three subsystems affect significantly each other and have been under various restrictions, such as natural (e.g. climate change), social, political and economic. The investments, the science and the technology constitute the available inputs of the whole system, while the outputs are considered to be the water uses, the environmental protection, the new technologies etc. Consequently, in order to achieve sustainable management of water resources, individuals should take into account not only economic, technical and political issues, but also environmental and social aspects. Management and use of the water resources is being made more effective by technological changes such as more efficient ways of boring wells and extracting groundwater, better systems of water transmission, from piped systems to tanker transport, and better systems for producing freshwater through desalination techniques (United Nations 2003). The aim of this paper is to present the applied policy and to propose measures and actions for the management of water resources in Greece. 2 Sustainable management of water resources Fig. 1 Global distribution of the world’s water (Source: Data from Shiklomanov and Rodda 2003 as it is mentioned in United Nations 2006) 123 The management of water resources is defined as the systematic spatiotemporal monitoring and forecast of two basic multidimensional parameters, availability of water resources and demand for water. Moreover, the management of water resources concerns the implementation of necessary measures for the satisfaction of needs, regarding the fields of economy and environment not only at present, but also in the future (Tsakiris 1995). Spulber and Sabbaghi (1994) argue that the management of water resources includes the interaction of the following elements; (a) estimation of quantity and quality of water demand, (b) supplied quantity and quality of water to each living creature, (c) water pollution and (d) recycling and reuse of water (Fig. 4). In addition, the sustainable management of water resources is characterised by the thorough satisfaction of every possible demand for water. It is an operational activity, the implementation of which requires processes, measures, interventions, infrastructure and others. Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 187 Table 1 Population and water consumption in selected countries Population Water consumption per capita and per sector (m3) Country Population (103) Increase (%) Urban sector (m3) Industrial sector Agricultural sector (m3) 1990 2025 1990 2025 1990 1990 2025 2025 France 56,700 8 106 106 459 459 100 82 Germany 79,400 4 64 64 405 405 110 55 Greece Italy 10,200 57,000 4 8 42 138 84 138 152 266 180 266 329 582 294 357 Spain 39,300 4 94 126 203 203 484 396 Australia 16,900 46 606 606 19 37 308 298 4,700 68 65 126 20 41 322 229 Turkey 56,100 62 87 87 60 85 395 380 Canada 27,800 38 288 288 1121 1121 192 96 2,49,900 33 243 243 842 842 785 605 Israel USA Source: Seckler et al. (1999) Recycling and reuse of water Water supply Quantity Water resources and variety Quantity Water Demand and variety Water pollution Fig. 2 Water use in excess of natural supply (Source: Water Systems Analysis Group, University of New Hampshire as it is mentioned in United Nations 2006) Fig. 4 Water Resources Management (Source: Spulber and Sabbaghi 1994) Fig. 3 Water Resources System (Source: Adopted from Ganoulis 1994) Natural water subsystem Inputs; Investments, Science, Technology Human water subsystem Management subsystem Outputs; Water uses, Technology Environmental protection CONSTRAINTS; Political, Social, Economical, Natural Consequently, the environmental policy applied to the water systems of a region, as well as, their efficient management are connected interdependently (Kotoulas 2001). The water balance presents the dynamic balance between the water and the outputs of a single region in the same time period, taking into account the internal 123 188 fluctuation of water reserves. Moreover, the water balance refers to a river basin that is considered a hydrologic unit. Water balance depending on the aim, may approach, either generally or in detail, the hydrologic data as well as the data of water consumption of a region (Tolikas 1999). The balance of supply–demand, is the simultaneous evaluation of the development of available water resources and the prospects of demand for water use, referring to a specific space and time, aiming at the planning of development of water resources and the orientation of uses. 3 Water resources in Greece Greece according to EUROSTAT (Table 2) possesses 6,471.79 m3 per capita of water resources compared to 2,539.70 m3 per capita that Spain possesses, 3,230.83 m3 per capita that Turkey possesses and 3,006.19 m3 per capita that France possesses. On the contrary two small EU— member states, Cyprus and Malta, possess 482.77 and 165.70 m3 per capita respectively. Furthermore, the cumulative water overdraft of both Israel and Jordan, estimated at 1,600 and 800 · 106 m3 respectively, exceeds their annual consumption rate (Livnat 1994). As far as Egypt, Lebanon and Syria are concerned, these countries possess 64, 421.7 · 106, 3,103.7 · 106 and 22,924 · 106 m3, respectively (United Nations 1999). The mean annual value of atmospheric precipitation is 700 mm (115 · 109 m3), the half of which is lost due to evaporation. About 85–90% of fresh water reserves are found in the form of surface water, while groundwater reserves constitute 10–15%. In addition 40% of irrigation water is pumped from groundwater boreholes (Fig. 5) (OECD and Hellenic Ministry for the Environment, Planning and Public Works 2000). Small and large wetlands and wetlands clusters constitute the wetland resources of Greece. Their extent is 2 · 105 ha while their total number exceeds 400. In Greece, 12 river deltas, 75 marshes, 56 lakes, 25 reservoirs, 60 lagoons, 17 springs, 42 estuary systems and 91 rivers have been recorded as wetlands (Papazafeiriou et al. 2000). According to Law 1739/87, marine water is not included in the water resources. An effort has been made during the last years in order the marine water to be integrated to the water potential. Till now, pilot units of water desalination in the islands of Syros and Mykonos and other islands of the country, are already in operation (Mimikou and Fotopoulos 2004). The geographic distribution of precipitation, depicted in Fig. 6, is not uniform due to the country’s irregular geomorphology. The greatest annual rainfall was marked at the stations of Perdikariou (Valtou) with 3,867 mm and Platanoussas 123 Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 (Ioaninon) with 3,515 mm. Generally, the rainfall height increases as we move towards higher latitude and from west coast (annual rainfall height about 1,000 mm) towards the interior, until we reach the mountain range of Pindos (annual rainfall height >1,400 mm) and the mountains of central Peloponissos (annual rainfall height 1,000– 1,400 mm). The rainfall height decreases on the eastern side of the mountain ranges. Eastern Greece constitutes an area with minimum annual rainfall height. The annual rainfall height in the flat areas of Central Macedonia, Thessaly, Eastern Sterea–Western Evia, Cyclades and Eastern Crete is 400–600 mm. However, in the mountainous areas of these regions the rainfall height is greater. In Eastern Macedonia and in Thrace the rainfall height increases from the coast (400–600 mm) towards the interior (1,000–1,400 mm), due to the greater altitude of these regions. Finally, the islands of Aegean Sea present an annual rainfall height of 600–800 mm (Kotoulas 1996). The way and the level of the variance of climate factors per elevation unit are given on Table 3. According to the data presented above, it can be concluded that intense changes in the distribution of precipitation height (1,400–400 mm) prevail in Greece with augmenting tendency from south to north and from east to west. The increase from south to north is attributed to the fact that colder and more humid climatic conditions prevail in the north, due to the higher latitude. The augmentative tendency from east to west concerns the segmentation of Greece into two parts by the mountain range of Pindos as well as the mountain ranges that are found in the geographical peripheries of Peloponissos and Crete. Consequently, the availability of water resources varies in different regions of Greece. In Greece the total volume of water consumption has doubled in the period between 1980 and 1999. The 85% of the consumed water capacity derives from surface water. Groundwater is mainly used for irrigation and, for supplies of drinkable water. Moreover, 87% of the pumped groundwater is intended for agricultural use in fact for the cultivation of cotton and maize. The total extent of irrigated regions, which has been increased over 40% in the last 15 years, corresponds today to one third of the total cultivated area of Greece. Since the 60s, about 20,000– 30,000 ha have been changed in irrigated areas each year, nevertheless this number has been stabilised to 10,000 ha for the last five years (OECD and Hellenic Ministry for the Environment, Planning and Public Works 2000). These changes are depicted on the following Table 4. According to Table 4, the irrigated land in Greece presents a major increase the last 50 years due to land reclamation works. Furthermore since 1981, when Greece became a full member state of EU, the cultivation of cotton increased significantly due to high subsidies. However the Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 189 Table 2 Water resources: long-term annual average (106 m3) Precipitation Belgium Actual evapotranspiration 28,547 Internal flow 16,146 Actual external inflow 12,401 8,347 Czech Republic 54,653 39,416 15,237 740 Denmark 38,485 22,145 16,340 : Germany : Total actual outflow Total fresh water resources 17,785 20,748 15,977 1,935 15,977 : 190,000 117,000 71,000 180,000 Estonia 30,647 18,603 12,044 9,070 11,920 Greece 115,000 55,000 60,000 12,000 : Spain France 346,527 488,427 2,35,394 310,379 111,133 178,048 0 11,000 111,133 168,000 111,133 189,048 Italy 167,000 8,000 155,000 175,000 118 370 296,000 129,000 Cyprus 2,670 2,300 Latvia 42,197 9,688 Lithuania 44,010 Malta 181 370 – 32,509 28,500 17,415 15,510 114 67 21,114 72,000 33,532 8,990 – 188,000 25,897 : 49,924 24,500 67 Netherlands 29,770 21,290 8,480 81,200 86,300 89,680 Austria 98,000 43,000 55,000 29,000 84,000 84,000 Poland 193,100 138,300 54,800 8,300 63,100 63,100 Portugal 82,164 43,571 38,593 35,000 34,000 73,593 Finland 222,000 115,000 107,000 Sweden 335,600 165,600 170,000 United Kingdom 268,214 125,187 : Bulgaria : : Romania Turkey 154,000 501,000 114,585 273,600 Iceland 200,000 Norway : Switzerland 110,000 110,000 179,000 179,000 160,630 160,630 19,433 19,433 2,878 6,900 17,930 178,000 42,293 234,300 170,000 170,000 369,045 12,394 381,439 381,439 40,150 13,100 53,500 53,250 2,744 18,940 493 39,415 227,400 30,000 170,000 : 60,100 3,200 : 19,950 : (:) Not available, (–) ‘Not applicable’ or ‘Real zero’ or ‘Zero by default’. Source: Eurostat Input from other countries 12x109 m3 Precipitation 115x109 m3 Evaporation 5x109 m3 Total renewable water 72x109 m3 Surface runoff 63x109 m3 Groundwater 9x109 m3 Fig. 5 Water reserves of Greece (Source: OECD and Hellenic Ministry for the Environment, Planning and Public Works 2000) cultivation of cotton demands a lot of water. Thus in order to satisfy this demand, many water boreholes have been overexploited. The unequal distribution of precipitation leads to intense problems of water shortage mainly during the highly demanding period of irrigation peak that constitutes a critical period for other uses as well, such as tourist activities. The increasing demand for water is supplied continuously using groundwater, which satisfies today over 40% of the capacity needed for irrigation. Moreover, in coastal regions, the increased pumping rate of groundwater has led to the movement of salt water towards the interior, downgrading the quality of the aquifer. The aquifer is also negatively influenced by the erosion of ground, a phenomenon caused by the forest fires, while the use of the traditional system of terraces in the hilly and mountainous areas has been limited during the last few centuries. The most significant problem appears to the islands of Aegean Sea (Cyclades, Dodekanissa) where the height of precipitation is particularly low, while the demand for water increases during the summer months. The development of these islands depends on tourism; consequently, the massive attendance of tourists contributes to the seasonal increase of water consumption. Furthermore, in other regions of Greece, such as in the Region of Thessaly, an increasing demand for water is observed in various activities, relating to the rural sector. 123 190 Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 Fig. 6 Total precipitation for Greece (mm) (Source: National Data Bank of Hydrological and Meteorological Information) Table 3 The way and the level of the variance of climate factors per elevation unit Elevation scale (m) Average etesian rainfall height (mm) Average annual number of days with at least 10 mm precipitation Average annual air temperature (C) Annual temperature bandwidth (C) <200 <760 <23 >16.2 <29 201–600 761–1,050 23–30 16.1–13.6 29.0–30.0 601–1,000 1,051–1,320 31–37 13.5–10.8 30.0–30.7 1,001–1,500 1,321–1,680 38–46 10.7–7.6 30.7–31.8 1,501–2,000 1,681–2,020 47–55 7.5–4.3 31.8–33 2,000< 2,021< 55< 4.3> 33.0< Source: Kotoulas (1983) The inefficient management of water resources is probably the most important factor that accounts for the shortage of water. Table 4 Irrigated land in Greece Year Irrigated land (thousand m2) 1950 2,418 1961 4,890 1971 7,374 1981 9,549 2005 14,789 Source: National Statistic Service of Greece (NSSG) 123 According to the data presented in Tables 1–3, it is obvious that the human activities depend directly on the presence of water. However, the quantities of water resources, which are available to the mankind for the satisfaction of different activities, do not always suffice. The main reasons for this problem are: (a) insufficient or erroneous information regarding the supply and the demand for water, (b) inefficient use of water, (c) erroneous planning for the confrontation of water shortage, (d) water pollution–water contamination and (e) climatic phenomena, which lead to floods or time periods with intense drought (Sofios 2003). Some other reasons could be wrongly estimated water prices, and market—government—institutional failures. Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 Consequently, the existence of an efficient and effective state policy regarding water resources is essential. The institution of laws, the enactment of Presidential Decrees and of Common Ministerial Decisions as well as other special regulations is advisable towards this direction. In Greece, the current legislation includes Law 1650/86, ‘‘For the protection of environment’’, Law 1739/87, ‘‘Management of water resources and other provisions’’, Law 3199/03 ‘‘Protection and Water Management. Reconciliation according to Directive 2000/60/EU of European Parliament and of the Council on October 23rd 2000’’, Presidential Decree 256/87, ‘‘Permission of water use’’, Presidential Decree 60/1998 ‘‘Determination of Spatial Appositeness of the Districts of Water Resources Management of Greece’’ as well as the Common Ministerial Decision F16/6631/1–6–89 for the ‘‘Determination of minimum and maximum limits of necessary quantities for the efficient use of water in irrigation’’. 4 Policy framework Policies and practices of water management must focus on specific objectives according to the causes of water scarcity. Policies and practices must depend on the assumption that water will not become abundant, so that water management policies and practices have to be appropriate to cope with water scarcity (Pereira 2005). Greece is characterised by geomorphologic particularity due to the intense geomorphology and the great coastal expansion. The country consists of many small basins that require different administrative policy (Baltas 2004). For the more equitable management of water potential, Greece was divided into 14 water regions as these are defined according to Law 1739/87 ‘‘Management of water resources and other provisions’’. According to the Ministry of Rural Development and Foods (2002), the management of water resources is divided into strategic and functional management. The significance of strategic management includes the general philosophy, the principles and the general planning that are required by the management of water resources. The significance of functional management includes the set of measures and actions, with which the management of water resources up to the level of final user—consumer is implemented, in the stage of licence, construction, operation and maintenance of water works, as well as the provided services in each one of the aforementioned stages. The functional management takes place at Prefecture level, with Normative Decisions of Prefects, that describe the terms for the protection of water resources and determine the frame of conditions for the publication of licences 191 for construction of water works and permissions of water use per category of use. According to Law 1739/87, the water regions are delimited by watershed or island regions that include complete hydrographic networks, with similar hydrologic conditions. Watershed is defined as the perimeter of the basin, which constitutes also the bisector line between adjacent basins (Kotoulas 1996). A National Committee of Water was established by the Law 3199/2000. The duties of the commission include the policy-making and management of water, the monitor and control of the implementation and the approval of national programs for the protection and management of the water potential of Greece. The national programs are proposed by the Minister of Environment, Planning and Public Works and the opinion of National Water Council. The water regions are not always identical to the geographic division of the country (Fig. 7). For example, the water region of Thessaly is not identical to the geographic and to the administrative Region of Thessaly. The difference between the administrative and the hydrologic division of the country is indicative in the following case where, the region of upper Acheloos belongs to the water region of Western Sterea Hellas and not to that of Thessaly, while the Islands of Northern Sporades do not belong to water region of Thessaly but to Eastern Sterea Hellas. The discrimination mentioned above constitutes an important cause of frictions at the implementation of Law 1739/87, owing to the fact that this law takes into account the ‘‘Authority of Management’’ (Regional Service of Water Resources) and does not consider the established administrative structures. According to Table 5, the greatest part of the used water capacity concerns surface water. Moreover, a contribution of water from neighbouring countries is noticed at the water regions 10–12. According to intergovernmental agreements with Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey, Greece accepts significant water quantities from the rivers Axios, Strimonas, Nestos and Evros (Polyzos and Sofios 2005). In the rural sector the management of water resources concerns mainly the activities of irrigation, the infrastructures in the livestock—farming, the fishery of internal waters and the agricultural industry. The forests, which constitute important areas of water supply, are included in the framework of activities. According to Law 1739/87, the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Foods, as responsible authority for the rural sector, has the responsibility for the application of measures and actions that aim at the fulfilment of the cultivation needs in water, as well as other agricultural needs for the sustainable development of the countryside. The efficient use of water resources in combination with an appropriate irrigation infrastructure, 123 192 Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 Fig. 7 The 14 water regions in Greece (Source: National Data Bank of Hydrological and Meteorological Information) Water has been a cornerstone of EU environmental policy. Water directives characterise different phases of the environmental policy evolution. The directive 2000/60/EU marks the beginning of a new era in EU environmental policy and also sets a precedent for the long debated balance between member-states ‘‘subsidiarity’’ and uniform standards at European level (Kallis and Butler 2001). The voting constitute effective measures for an intensive agricultural management and for the reformation of cultivations. The current irrigated area of Greece is 1.32 · 106 ha. The management of water resources in the collective land reclamation works of rural space, which irrigates 40% of the total irrigated area is realised by 414 institutions (Ministry of Rural Development and Foods 2002). Table 5 Distribution of water resources and water use per water region Number of water region Extent km2 Precipitation Runoff Useful volume Total Surface water ‘000 m3/year ‘000 m3/year Water use for the year 1980 Groundwater (A) (B) ‘000 m3/year (C) (D) 01 7,304 7,450 3,462 3,750 3,050 700 22 200 12 234 02 7,314 7,197 3,400 3,550 2,650 900 37 400 3 440 220 03 8,464 5,811 1,316 1,950 1,000 950 17 200 3 04 10,417 14,300 12,896 10,600 9,750 850 15 260 – 275 05 9,976 15,600 8,895 8,750 8,500 250 28 230 4 262 06 3,201 1,470 219 400 200 200 255 70 17 342 07 12,223 8,837 1,981 2,950 1,900 1,050 36 380 6 421 08 13,162 9,766 3,356 4,600 3,250 1,350 58 720 7 785 09 13,696 10,599 4,356 4,950 4,100 850 40 370 30 440 10 10,389 6,596 7,120 7,600 6,900a 700 72 280 20 372 11 7,213 4,422 4,419 4,750 4,200b 550 23 390 10 423 12 11,240 8,780 10,983 11,300 10,900c 400 27 420 6 453 13 8,312 8,074 1,355 2,600 1,300 1,300 33 220 2 255 14 Total 9,011 4,500 113,402 1,080 64,838 1,250 69,000 1,000 58,700 250 10,300 33 696 80 4,220 1 121 114 5,037 Notes: (A) urban use (B) rural use (C) industrial use (D) Total. a 4,219 m3/year from F.Y.R.O.M., year from Bulgaria and Turkey. Source: Selianitis (1998) 123 b 2,300 m3/year from Bulgaria, c 7,430 m3/ Environmentalist (2008) 28:185–194 of Water Framework Directive (WFD) 2000/60 at the EU (European Community 2000), aims at the establishment of a common European policy for the protection of the internal, surface, transient, coastal and groundwater, in combination with the protection of environment. Basic directive trend of the European Committee for the organisation of management is the principle of participation of all the interested participants up to the final user–consumer. In order for this objective to be achieved in all member-states, a predetermined timetable of implementation from 2003 to 2019 is promoted, with common starting lines and common steps. The actions for the support of the implementation of the WFD are in progress. These actions include the formation of national lines of guidance, application of elements of the Directive in pilot basins and discussions with regard to the administrative frame that will condition the operation of Hydrologic Regions. Also research projects financed by European Union are developed related to the process of implementation of WFD (Mimikou and Fotopoulos 2004). Concerning the difficulties for the implementation of WFD in Greece, various institutions and administrative authorities with different roles, competences, responsibilities and interests are involved. This is often the major factor of inefficient management of water resources. In addition, the WFD could set up major changes to rural sector, which consumes the vast majority of water resources, because the principle of full cost of water pricing could impact the farmers’ income. The mentioned above Directive was incorporated in the legislation with the Law 3199/03, which however requires presidential decrees and ministerial decisions, in order to be applied. 5 Conclusions: proposals Greece presented and continues to present an important advantage regarding the water resources compared to other countries. However, this advantage did not result from certain appreciable and systematic effort, neither from measures that were applied successfully, but it was related with social structures, the historical way of the region and the model of development that was adopted. Greece has made considerable efforts during the last decades, in order to be included in the set of developed countries. These efforts were connected with a development policy that required intensive use of water resources leading to the decrease of the quality and quantity of them. In the following years, the strategy and the directions for the management of water resources should be in the frames of the WFD and Law 3199/03 and should accord with the sustainable management and development. Based on the above mentioned, the objectives regarding the water resources, concern the institutional changes, as well as the infrastructures that should exist. 193 As far as the objectives of institutional changes and regulations are concerned, the immediate application of Law 3199/03 and consequently the application of the WFD is proposed. Furthermore, the elaboration of studies concerning administrative plans for water resources is suggested. The establishment and operation of Regional Laboratories of Public Health for the control of potable water quality is another serious step in order to achieve sustainable management of the water resources. In addition, the public authorities should intend to the application of cost accounting for water supply, irrigation and other uses. Moreover, the operation of a monitoring mechanism of water uses focusing on pumping, with the installation of supply measurement devices and with simultaneous imposition of penal actions and fines at the offenders should be implemented. In addition, the local authorities of reclamation works and farmers’ associations could control the management and distribution of irrigation water. As far as the objectives of infrastructures/works are concerned, the interconnection of reformations policy in the rural sector with the water policy is suggested. Hence we see the emergence and broad acceptance of the reformation of cultivations and the implementation of alternative solutions in cultivations that do not use significant water quantities. Furthermore, the installation of wastewater cleaning systems in every cattle-breeding unit in order to decrease the pollution of water resources is proposed. In addition, good governance could implement the following actions; (a) works for the reservation of surface water, (b) works of artificial recharge in aquifers, (c) works of infrastructure aiming at the prevention, such as reforestations, redistributions, regulations, flood structures, (d) combined management of land reclamation works, (e) installations of potable water treatment plants, (f) installation, improvement and operation of a reception points network of hydrologic observations and monitoring of water quality and (g) actions aiming at the briefing and sensitisation of users for the consideration of water as good, such as environmental education. The implementation of a sustainable policy that will provide sufficient quantities of fresh water accessible to every citizen is a fundamental right. The quality of water resources should be considered as a high priority of the public authorities, too. The implementation of the mentioned above objectives could lead to integrated management of the water resources aiming at the improvement of the welfare of the human society. References Baltas, E. (2004). An analysis of water districts of Greece on the implementation of the Water Directive 2000/60/EU. AEICHOROS, Vol. 3, No. 4 (in Greek). 123 194 Common Ministerial Decision with number F16/6631/1–6–89 for ‘Determination of minimum and maximum limits of necessary quantities for the efficient use of water regarding the irrigation’ (in Greek). European Community (EC) (2000). Directive 2000/60/EC of the European parliament and of the council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy. Official Journal of the European Communities L327, pp. 1–72. http://eurostat.ec.europa.eu (EUROSTAT). Ganoulis, J. G. (1994). 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