Eustratios Charhalakis: Criticizes the opposition's stance on the water supply issue

In a recent post, the Mayor of Kythera, Efstratios Harhalakis, criticizes the attitude of the opposition on the issue of the island's water supply. The Mayor denounces the attitude of the opposition, stressing that most of its proposals were withdrawn by the opposition. He also points out that the opposition has chosen to characterise the problem of water supply in certain areas as a general problem of the island, which, in his opinion, does not correspond to reality.

Mr.Harhalakis defends the position of the Municipal Authority, arguing that the water supply problems exist, but geographically limited, while stressing that the projects that have been carried out in the last decade have significantly improved the situation. Finally, it announced the organisation of a major conference in Kythera in April, with the aim of formulating integrated solutions for water supply and water resources on the island.

Read his post below:

«15 Water Proposals that became 4, a real Rudeness and a lot of populism!

In the Municipal Council of July 31st and in the context of the information of the councillors, the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor of Water Supply and the Head of Technical Services provided a full and detailed briefing on the problems of water supply and their treatment, on the projects that have been launched and the stages of their implementation as well as on the next steps and projects planned in the near future. All questions were answered in a well-founded manner and nothing was left unanswered.

One would think that after such a detailed briefing, the opposition factions would take their time to study everything that was said, and make use of the important information provided by the Municipal Authority, bring to the table comprehensive and well-founded proposals and act as an adjunct to the programme of the municipal majority (which - lest we forget - has been solemnly endorsed by the very recent election result, something that the opposition as a whole is frantically trying to forget).

Instead, a combined motion was submitted by the two factions of the Opposition with 15 proposals for water supply that, as it turned out, are either already being implemented, or are in the process of being implemented and completed, or have already been planned and some are finally impossible to implement. For the sake of argument, here are some of them, for illustrative purposes only:

1. «Immediately repair all leaks found in all plumbing systems.» CITY CREWS WORKING DAILY TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE!
2. «Proper operation and exploitation of the two desalination plants of Agia Pelagia and Diakofti». THEY ARE ALREADY OPERATING (from the beginning of June in Diakofti and from the beginning of July in Ag. Pelagia)!
3. «Immediate construction of a network from the reservoir of Makrona to Gonia for the transfer of 200 cubic meters per 24 hours to the reservoir of Skliri and from there to all the settlements served by the reservoir. Immediate inclusion for exploitation and the wells in Gonia». THE STUDY HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND A REQUEST FOR FUNDING HAS BEEN MADE FOR MONTHS!

The majority faction and its members separately, considering the above proposal nothing more than a mockery, refused to participate in a theatre of absurdity, which was confirmed by the theatrics, threats and shouts of the members of the Minor Opposition at the City Council of August 8, 2024.

In the week leading up to the August 14th re-session, there was a barrage of publications presenting the water supply problems in certain settlements as a general problem on the island. In view of this, our municipal faction felt it necessary to bring out the correct picture and attended the repeat meeting.

In the context of this meeting, the Deputy Mayors Mr. Zantiotis and Strategos highlighted separately for each proposal of the proposal both the sloppiness with which they had been prepared and the lack of substance of these resulting in the same factions of the opposition to DISMISS 11 of the 15 proposals submitted, which both factions preferred not to mention in their press releases, misleading citizens!

In addition, the Municipal Authority was accused of rudeness to citizens by the member of the faction «Free Kythera» Mr.Andreas Mariatos for not attending the meeting-theatre of 8 August 2024. We would like to draw his attention to the utmost rudeness on his part towards the citizens, to characterize and criticize drilling as a «drug» and on the other hand to vote for the proposal that promotes it as a solution! Because, in the proposal presented by the Opposition, new drilling is considered DATA! Nowhere did the Opposition propose to abolish the drilling or stop the project of drilling new ones! NOTHING!

In contrast to the two factions of the Opposition, the Municipal Authority found it particularly positive that it was agreed to have a comprehensive discussion and approach to the water problem by the whole Board after the summer period. The design of a comprehensive plan for water supply and water adequacy on the island needs seriousness and information, not sketchy suggestions, histrionics and abstentions from its passage.

In this context, it has already been announced by the Mayor Mr. Harhalakis the formation of the Organizing Committee for the big two-day conference that will be held in Kythera next April and which will analyze all the parameters of the carrying capacity of the island's infrastructure in conjunction with the residential and tourist expansion, proposing solutions and strategies. We hope that the opposition will then bring forward real proposals and not rampant theorising.

We are the last to claim that everything went smoothly in the water supply this summer. This summer's water supply problems, geographically limited to certain areas, in no way justify the extreme generalized view of an anhydrous island abandoned to its fate, as some people try to present or the populist publications about “bachalos” that have done and are doing enormous harm to the island and the tourist industry.

Dozens of projects have been completed or are being completed in the last decade, without which the water supply situation of Kythera would be much worse, especially with the intensity of the phenomenon of water scarcity in recent years, combined with the increased needs from the number of visitors to our island (following post with the projects).

There is certainly room for additional projects and interventions and the Municipal Authority's programme, announced long ago for anyone who has bothered to read it, provides for this. We firmly believe that the water supply of Kythera can only be ensured by a MIXED METHOD: BOTH drilling and desalination. Anyone who demonises either one way or the other can only be described as naive.
Finally, the Municipal Authority listens and follows with interest the movements and comments of citizens on this major issue and despite the fact that some of these movements are directed against persons and not problems, the Municipal Authority believes that a platform is being created for the State to step in to address the problems of remote municipalities such as ours which is currently left with one (1) plumber and one (1) hydrologist, with only six (6) administrators and no immediate prospects for meaningful staffing and this is NOT at its own peril.

We would of course expect similar moves from our active and sensitive to the general policy of the place and our neighbours (permanent and non-resident) and when our Municipality and the permanent residents were left without transport with the mainland during the winter, with only two weeks of power supply sufficiency, when the power is cut off on every day and holiday even on days of exceptional summer, when the speed of the internet is reminiscent of the 2000s, when payments of the integrated infrastructure projects are stopped and they stagnate affecting the lives of all of us (e.g.e.g. water supply of Ag. Pelagia), when state agencies take 1 and 2 years to license critical projects with the risk of losing funding, when the Municipality is deprived of staff and is heading for a lockout, etc.
How much better things would be if the recently complaining citizens would complain to the competent authorities hand in hand with the Municipality and for all the above...
Happy (and rainy) month!