Greece announces 2.5-bn-euro plan to tackle drought threat

Athens: Greece on Thursday said it would invest 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) over the next decade to tackle a mounting drought challenge threateni...

Athens: Greece on Thursday said it would invest 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) over the next decade to tackle a mounting drought challenge threatening Athens and Thessaloniki, its two largest cities, and many of its islands.

"It may snow, it may rain... (but) hope is not a strategy," said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. "We must be prepared for the worst possible scenario."

With the southeastern Mediterranean particularly vulnerable to climate change, Greece is facing its greatest water shortage challenge in 30 years, officials said Thursday.

Addressing an event to mark the centenary of the Athens water supply and sewerage company (EYDAP), CEO Harry Sachinis spoke of a "10-year, 2.5-billion-euro plan" that includes

diverting two tributaries of the River Achelous in western Greece, in addition to drilling and desalination projects.