The people of Lipsi have taken yet another important step toward sustainable tourism, with the goal of ensuring the proper use of water resources produced through desalination. As part of a global initiative being implemented in Greece by FINISH in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med), an action group with the active support of the Municipality of Lipsi, they equipped all households on the island with special water-saving filters, demonstrating the correct way to use the devices and assisting with their installation.
At the same time, following the municipality’s efforts to purchase a digital fault locator for the water supply network, water leaks have been eliminated, as any problem that would lead to a waste of resources is now detected and repaired. In the near future, the procurement and installation of an automatic chlorination system will be initiated, and the desalination plant will be upgraded following a study and a request by the Municipality to the General Secretariat for the Aegean and Island Policy. The goal is to ensure full control over water quality and to increase daily production by 15%, in order to accommodate the growing tourist traffic with a 24-hour, uninterrupted water supply. «The results of the actions already being implemented are impressive.”.
In June 2023 alone, 4,000 cubic meters less water was used compared to the same month in 2022, leading to an impressive reduction in water consumption of 32%,» said Lipsi Mayor Fotis Mangos, adding that, «Tourists have responded very positively to our call for sustainability, and bookings for Lipsi are on the rise, with occupancy on the island of Kalypso estimated to “reach” 95% for July and August. Thanks to our efforts, sufficient drinking water of much higher quality will be available in the future for both residents and our visitors.».
