Corfu΄s demand - "We want water, Prime Minister!"
water
09 Jul 2020
/ 14:09
CORFU. With the question of the dams recently in the news, the biggest demand that Corfu will put to the Prime Minister is a solution to the long-standing problem with water.
On the occasion of the Prime Minister's visit to Corfu the island's long-standing problem of the supply of drinking water has once more come to the forefront.
There was a Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Municipal Council meeting yesterday. 8 July, to decide on the issues to be brought to the Prime Minister's attention by the Mayor. The issue that was by far of greatest concern to them was the lack of drinking water.
In her initial presentation Meropi Ydraiou put forward a whole series of issues that are part of the strategic planning - from the road networks and the seafront to smart 7 green city and school buildings - but didn't include the dam project. She said, "The Board of the new inter-municipal DEYAK has to be formed first. In any case, two sub-projects are already underway - desalination for Corfu Town and South Corfu."
Matters took a completely different direction, however, after the leaders and representatives of the opposition parties spoke. One after another they stated that Corfu's major demand from the Prime Minister should be a solution to the island's long-standing water supply problem.
The leader of the 'Kerkyra na Zis' party and former Mayor Yiannis Trepeklis said, "The major issue is what the local authority has been fighting for and demanding for the last thirty or so years." He said, "There have been studies, funding has been lost at the last moment and we need to make strong demands - the Government owes it to the people of Corfu!"
The leader of the 'Prota I Kerkyra' party Giorgos Kaloudis said that, "Water is the number one problem for Corfu." According to Mr. Kaloudis, it has for years been political fraud against Corfu for the sake of specific financial interests. He claimed, "Water, which is such an important social resource, has in essence been privatised in Corfu for the last fifty years!"
The leader of the 'Kerkyraiki Anagennisi' party Chrysostomos Boukas spoke along the same lines and stressed that of course the water supply problem must be Corfu's basic demand. The Mayor must demand a clear committment from the Prime Minister, he said.
Panayiotis Varouchas, speaking on behalf of Spyros Neratzis' party 'I Kerkyra Psilla', said that water sufficiency is a necessary condition for us to compete as a tourist destination and so he had to agree that it must be the first matter that is put to Kyriakos Mitsotakis by the Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Municipality.
Maria Dri and Spyros Poulis also completely agreed with the others on the importance of the issue and both said it should be at the top of the list of subjects to be discussed.
Giorgos Karydis, leader of the 'Kerkyraiki Simmahia' party, came at it from a different angle. He wondered how it was possible to put the matter of funding for the dams to the Prime Minister when years ago the EU downgraded the issue, calling it a "huge, Pharaonic" project and putting an end to it. He pointed out that there had been efforts not to lose the huge funding and that's why the so-called 'sub-projects' were created, which, in reality, are the only projects that can be completed. For that reason, Mr. Karydis asked that the matter not be brought up again but that we request that the approved sub-projects proceed as quickly as possible.
It was clear after last night's meeting at the Municipal Theatre that there is universal agreement from the elected representatives that water supply is Corfu's most significant problem and there needs to be as strong a demand as possible that the Prime Minister provide a solution.
As the leader of the 'Kerkyraiki Anagennisi' party and former Mayor Chrysanthos Sarlis pointed out, "Future generations will curse all of us for two things - one of them is the water shortage that will be a painful reality for the island in the next fifteen years at the most. (note: the other thing, according to Mr. Sarlis, is the destruction of the environment and the tourist product by oil drilling in the Ionian Sea) We have to leave something for the future generations and that is why we must once again demand that the dam project goes forward..."
There was a Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Municipal Council meeting yesterday. 8 July, to decide on the issues to be brought to the Prime Minister's attention by the Mayor. The issue that was by far of greatest concern to them was the lack of drinking water.
In her initial presentation Meropi Ydraiou put forward a whole series of issues that are part of the strategic planning - from the road networks and the seafront to smart 7 green city and school buildings - but didn't include the dam project. She said, "The Board of the new inter-municipal DEYAK has to be formed first. In any case, two sub-projects are already underway - desalination for Corfu Town and South Corfu."
Matters took a completely different direction, however, after the leaders and representatives of the opposition parties spoke. One after another they stated that Corfu's major demand from the Prime Minister should be a solution to the island's long-standing water supply problem.
The leader of the 'Kerkyra na Zis' party and former Mayor Yiannis Trepeklis said, "The major issue is what the local authority has been fighting for and demanding for the last thirty or so years." He said, "There have been studies, funding has been lost at the last moment and we need to make strong demands - the Government owes it to the people of Corfu!"
The leader of the 'Prota I Kerkyra' party Giorgos Kaloudis said that, "Water is the number one problem for Corfu." According to Mr. Kaloudis, it has for years been political fraud against Corfu for the sake of specific financial interests. He claimed, "Water, which is such an important social resource, has in essence been privatised in Corfu for the last fifty years!"
The leader of the 'Kerkyraiki Anagennisi' party Chrysostomos Boukas spoke along the same lines and stressed that of course the water supply problem must be Corfu's basic demand. The Mayor must demand a clear committment from the Prime Minister, he said.
Panayiotis Varouchas, speaking on behalf of Spyros Neratzis' party 'I Kerkyra Psilla', said that water sufficiency is a necessary condition for us to compete as a tourist destination and so he had to agree that it must be the first matter that is put to Kyriakos Mitsotakis by the Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Municipality.
Maria Dri and Spyros Poulis also completely agreed with the others on the importance of the issue and both said it should be at the top of the list of subjects to be discussed.
Giorgos Karydis, leader of the 'Kerkyraiki Simmahia' party, came at it from a different angle. He wondered how it was possible to put the matter of funding for the dams to the Prime Minister when years ago the EU downgraded the issue, calling it a "huge, Pharaonic" project and putting an end to it. He pointed out that there had been efforts not to lose the huge funding and that's why the so-called 'sub-projects' were created, which, in reality, are the only projects that can be completed. For that reason, Mr. Karydis asked that the matter not be brought up again but that we request that the approved sub-projects proceed as quickly as possible.
It was clear after last night's meeting at the Municipal Theatre that there is universal agreement from the elected representatives that water supply is Corfu's most significant problem and there needs to be as strong a demand as possible that the Prime Minister provide a solution.
As the leader of the 'Kerkyraiki Anagennisi' party and former Mayor Chrysanthos Sarlis pointed out, "Future generations will curse all of us for two things - one of them is the water shortage that will be a painful reality for the island in the next fifteen years at the most. (note: the other thing, according to Mr. Sarlis, is the destruction of the environment and the tourist product by oil drilling in the Ionian Sea) We have to leave something for the future generations and that is why we must once again demand that the dam project goes forward..."
