Greece boasts fine beaches with the sun sparkling off the ocean that stretches out further than the eye can see. A typical beach-goer would imagine swimming or surfing on the waters, but residents would say otherwise. For them, it’s water to be consumed. 

Right before this summer’s peak tourist arrivals, multiple Greek islands experienced a water crisis. A deadly combination of record high temperatures and minimal rainfall led to a drought that left taps dry in some areas. 

The solution? Draw water from the ocean. Authorities used desalination units to turn seawater into fresh water supply for houses and hotels. Considering the ocean’s size, it may seem like desalination units are enough to meet water needs. That is not the case. 

The tourism industry consumes a lot of water: swimming pools, gardens, and long vacation showers add up. In 2023, Greece saw almost 333 million international arrivals—that is three times more than residents. That means tourism is a major driver of water usage in many Greek isles.

Desalination units are a good temporary solution, but they are not enough to support those numbers. Residents, especially farmers, do not even have enough water supply to support their livelihoods. Why is this the case? Desalination units have two major flaws: high energy costs and limited infrastructure. 

Desalination units run on electricity. Naxos island alone has four desalination plants that produce 3,600 cubic meters of drinking water (a little over one full Olympic sized pool) per day. According to Sychem, the manufacturer of the systems, an advanced desalination system requires 2.4 kilowatts (KW) per cubic meter of water. Altogether, they would require 8,640KW of energy a day. That is equal to 43 times the average electricity used by a Greek in a year. 

In addition to high energy use, the desalination units have limited accessibility. The current infrastructure of the units can only distribute water to their immediate surrounding areas. Even on the smaller islands, areas more inland are unable to receive the desalinated water supply. This is particularly devastating for islands like Naxos that have a significant agricultural history and culture. 

Naxos is famous for their potatoes—a Naxos potato festival is held annually in the summer. However, repeated water crises have led to significant decreases in potato production. Potato farms are located inland, putting them out of reach of desalination units. This makes them especially vulnerable to water shortages. According to the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Naxos, average potato production has dropped by seventy percent. And the same will happen next year, unless water supply increases.

It is not enough to have water supply meet current demands. Total global tourist arrivals for 2024 are still 4% lower than pre-pandemic levels, but the UN Tourism Agency expects that the numbers will grow. In other words, Greece will be seeing even more tourists. 

Desalination units already prove to be unreliable. Authorities had four desalination units prepared on Sifnos island during the summer water crisis to support high tourist arrivals. When one unit broke down, taps immediately ran dry. Even after the unit was repaired, water cuts still persisted as tourist numbers increased. 

Desalination units are a good temporary solution to address water shortages, but not reliable long term. As long as Greece continues to accept large tourist crowds, water demand will only increase. In addition to increasing water supply, the Greek government needs to implement strict policies to limit water use for all. Otherwise, there will be no more fresh water in Greece.