Elina Galanopoulou, a professional in the tourism industry, posted a message expressing considerable… indignation on her personal Facebook account, apparently regarding the water supply disruptions affecting several settlements on the island. Read her post.
«Do you know what it's like to go to sleep and wake up wondering: What am I going to do when the water tank runs dry? What will I do when my pressure washer breaks down and I have to buy a new one, but I can’t find one and it costs a fortune? Do you know what it’s like not to cook a meal because there’ll be too many dishes to wash afterward? Do you know what it’s like to keep track of how often your guests use the toilet and bathroom, how often you have to change the sheets and towels, and how many buckets of water are needed to keep everything properly clean? Do you know what it’s like to have heard Christos Zerefos say with your own ears, several times over the past 20 years, that the island is running out of water, that it will dry up, that measures must be taken—and that he’s even pointed them out to you? Do you know what it’s like to call on those in charge for answers and hope, only to have them—from the highest-ranking official down to the lowest—wagging their fingers at you, blaming it all on your own stupidity for not taking care of it yourself! for all sorts of crazy things—blaming previous administrations, the Public Power Corporation (DEI), and various other agencies, good weather, bad weather—but never those directly responsible? Do you know what it’s like to have your island turned into a sieve by all those wells—those wells cost a fortune…—and now that they’ve dried up, they’re just pumping out mud? Do you know what it’s like to have worked your fingers to the bone to bring people to the island and not be able to keep them here? Do you know what it’s like to have the streets flooded with rainwater in the winter and to beg for a few cubic meters of water in the summer? Do you know what it’s like to envy other barren, rocky islands that nevertheless had—and still have—mayors with guts, skills, and serious plans for the survival of their communities? Do you know what it’s like to be unable to find peace knowing that once again you’ve tried in vain to do your job because some people just don’t want to take responsibility and do the bare minimum? Do you know what it’s like to have Paradise, but for some people to prefer to turn it into Hell, because “it costs too much, Aris”? We here in Tsirigo don’t just know that.».
