Problems that concern water

1. 4th Junior High School.
Kavala, Greece

2.  In the early 16th century the most famous monument of
Kavala was constructed. The aqueduct known as
“Kamares” (arches), was a great water supply project
built to bridge the waterless peninsula of Panagia with
the sources of the mountain of Lekani. It supplied the
town with water until the early
decades of the 20th century.

3.  In 1912-1913 the protective measures were
abolished as people and animals were allowed to
move on the pipeline path. This resulted in
frequent damages and water pollution.

4.  During the years of the settlement of refugees from
Asia Minor, when the demand for water increased
significantly, the water reached the town every
second day and only for a few hours. To tackle the
problem of great water shortage, in 1928 the new
aqueduct of the city was built, with water from
three new boreholes.

5.  After the second world war , in 1948, when the city
of Kavala financially recovered, it replaced the old
pumps. Although the situation improved, the
water shortage was still intense .

6.  In 1957-1958 the water level of boreholes
decreased , which is a problem that hadn’t
appeared for thirty years since they started
operating. Operation of the pumping station was
being interrupted at intervals to raise the level of
drilling and to allow pumping.

7.  After 1958, it became apparent that water supply
from the existing aqueduct was heavily dependent
on rainfall. Therefore, in October 1963, the study
of the new aqueduct began. The project was
completed in July 1973 with the opening of the
new central water pumping station at Voirani
springs.

8.  Many problems exist nowadays due to the three
different types of pipes used in the water supply
system (PVC, metal and asbestos pipes).
Replacement is needed to limit damages while
water supply and irrigation pipes must be
separated in order to have sufficient water
provision.

9.  Fishing is an essential part of the Greek economy and
tradition. However, 93% of the Mediterranean fish
stocks are overfished, which means fish are caught
at rates that are too high even when they are
undersized and as a result fish stocks can become
too depleted to recover. This is major threat both to
the marine ecosystem and to our economy and
tradition.

10.  In Kavala, for the first time in the Mediterranean
sea, a fishing fleet began the process to assess its
fisheries to the MSC Standard for sustainable
fishing. The MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) is
an international organization aiming to certify the
sustainability of fisheries. There are currently 275
certified fleets in the world.

11.  Nestos is a river which springs from Mount Rila in
Bulgaria and flows into the Thracian Sea forming the
natural border between the Prefectures of Kavala and
Xanthi. The Delta of Nestos with its rich flora and fauna
has been acclaimed a Wetland of International
Significance and is protected by the Ramsar
Convention.

12.  According to residents and ecological
organizations in the area, within the Greek territory
the river often gets filled with all kinds of waste,
hazardous to public health, such as plastics, dead
animals or packaging of pesticides coming from
the neighbouring country’s side. The phenomenon
is regularly repeated after heavy rainfall.

13. Chrysanthi Konstantinidou
Kiriaki Lydia Diplari