Central Corfu Mayor urgently requests Greek PM for €10m for water supply

The Mayor of Central Corfu raised the pressing issues that require resolution with the support of the Government to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who visited the island yesterday. In a memorandum sent to his office last week, the Mayor outlined the four most urgent issues that need immediate attention: rubbish, water supply, cultural infrastructure, and revenue from tourism.

The Mayor's Memorandum

Since the beginning of 2024, the new municipal administration has been confronted with explosive problems. These problems hinder the functioning of the Municipality and make the provision of services to the residents and the millions of visitors either impossible or inadequate.

In this note, we briefly present the four (4) most significant issues of our region, which pertain to waste management, water supply, the cultural sector, and tourism.

ISSUES THAT REQUIRE ATTENTION

1. WASTE MANAGEMENT is currently in a state that does not befit our island or our country. Unfortunately, the processing plant that should have been operational by now has been floundering for years.

The temporary transportation of waste to Kozani and Ioannina has become permanent, and the cost for the Municipality and the residents is unbearable and unmanageable. The separation of the Biological Waste Processing Unit from the processing plant and its independent construction and operation, with a relatively small budget, would be the solution for about 50% of our waste. This would provide significant relief for the region and the Municipality's finances.

2.WATER SUPPLY in the Municipality and the island more broadly is emerging as an even bigger problem that requires bold measures now!

Our water supply systems, old and inadequate, are unable to meet the needs. These needs are constantly growing, and being unable to meet them, water supply interruptions have already appeared in various extensive sensitive areas.

The expectation that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Networks would construct major water supply projects on the island (dams, networks, reservoirs, etc.) has held back the existing installations from the 1980s and 1990s, which can no longer meet the enormous demands of consumption today.

Our four (4) million visitors, the various tourist units, and the scattered swimming pools everywhere require quantities of water that are increasingly hard to find…

While this is happening, the financial and operational situation at DEYAK (Municipal Water and Sewerage Company of Corfu) makes things even more difficult.

We are sounding the alarm!

We are sending an SOS!

We urgently request funding of 10 million Euros for the immediate execution of projects to modernise our pumping stations, replace the problematic main pipelines of our water supply networks, and other smaller-scale complementary projects.

3. CULTURE Corfu has a duty to its past, present, and future to highlight, promote, and showcase its culture.

However, the cultural infrastructure buildings in Corfu do not honor us. Our Municipal Theatre is in a dire state, while the historic Phoenix Theatre has been in ruins for years, awaiting its revival.

The old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been waiting 17 years for the establishment of a Management Authority to work on its protection and promotion.

Despite the negative observations regarding these three issues, which are of paramount importance for culture in Corfu, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

For the two theatres, we will have the studies by the end of 2024 - early 2025 to proceed with the tendering of the projects, which are included in the Integrated Spatial Investment and funded by the Regional ESPA Programme.

In addition to these, our fortresses are what in 1716 allowed the heroic defenders to prevent the Ottoman conquest and stop their advance into Europe.

These fortresses are of utmost national heritage significance and should be treated as such by the state. They require substantial funding to protect them from the ravages of time and to highlight their importance.

4. TOURISM: HUGE OBLIGATIONS, SLIM REVENUES We are blessed to live in a small paradise, with a generously gifted natural environment that, combined with our unique architectural heritage and rich cultural tradition, has made Corfu one of the most popular tourist destinations in our country.

This fact creates a series of significant obligations for the local administration, which is called upon to manage a multitude of issues arising from the arrival of millions of visitors.

To manage these adequately, it is necessary to acquire the means and resources, which it currently lacks. It is inconceivable that in a place where billions flow in from tourism, the Municipality should be the poor relative. It receives no revenue from the entry points, the port and the airport, or from cruise ships. And with the meagre proceeds from the Visitor’s Tax, amounting to 0.5%, everyone expects the Municipality to provide services that it is unable to offer.

Therefore, the proposal of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) to restore the Visitor’s Tax to 2% is a lifesaving first step.

At the same time, additional resources need to be institutionalised from the daily tourism of cruise ships, which leave a significant environmental footprint, among other impacts, without generating any revenue for the Municipality.

Finally, the old town of Corfu – a UNESCO World Heritage site, needs resources for its continuous maintenance at a respectable level. This resource could come as a percentage of the overnight stay tax.

Dear Prime Minister,

We thank you very much for your interest, and while awaiting your practical response, we are always at your disposal for additional information and coordination with your associates.

Stefanos Poulimenos

Mayor

CHRISTINA GEREKOU