Greece's Epiphany events marking Christ's baptism highlight concerns about water scarcity

MARATHON, Greece — As Orthodox Christians around the world attended Epiphany ceremonies on Tuesday to commemorate the baptism of Christ, worried officials in Greece used the moment to highlight growing water scarcity.

A priest cast a wooden cross into the visibly depleted waters of Lake Marathon, an artificial reservoir north of Athens. Water stored there and in the other three reservoirs supplying Athens has dropped from more than 1 billion cubic meters in 2022 to about 390 million cubic meters.

The dramatic decline prompted authorities in November to declare a water emergency in the capital.

“This is the third consecutive year of a significant drop in reservoir levels. This means that the problem is right in front of us,” George Stergiou, chairman of the greater Athens water utility, EYDAP, told The Associated Press after attending the Marathon ceremony.

Stergiou warned that prolonged droughts are becoming more frequent and are often followed by intense rainfall that does little to replenish supplies.

The state-run utility has announced a 2.5 billion euro ($2.9 billion), decade-long investment program to reduce water losses and boost water security, including pipe replacements, smart meters and expanded wastewater reuse.

“What we want to do, as a first step, is replace all those uses that today could be met with non-potable water by recycled water,” Stergiou said.

Reservoir manager Sofia Nalpantidou said Marathon’s low level should be viewed in context, noting the lake is connected with the wider system and partly managed for seasonal flood control.

“We usually keep it lower in winter because we want to maintain a buffer,” Nalpantidou said.

Residents have noted the changes.

“In the past, it used to rain a lot more, sometimes daily. That doesn’t happen anymore,” said Antonis Stamou, a 78-year-old retiree who attended Tuesday’s service.