Chaos in Hanioti as taps run dry: residents report seven days without water

Residents of Hanioti, a popular resort town on the Kassandra peninsula, say they have been without running water for seven days and are coping with increasingly primitive conditions that are affecting everyday life and tourism.

People who live in the hills above the town, in the settlement of Pentanem, report they have not seen a drop from their taps since 10 August. One long-term seasonal resident says the situation has deteriorated compared with last year and that the lack of water has left her unable to care for a very elderly family member.

"The situation is worse than last year," she says, adding: "I have a 100-year-old mother with me. The woman has her needs, she gets dirty, and I cannot wash her." The same resident also says her brother flew in from the United States only to be forced to move elsewhere, and that after spending €2,000 to install a private tank they still cannot get it refilled.

Local coping measures and business responses

Many households describe improvised solutions: filling barrels used for olive harvests and measuring out small quantities for personal hygiene. "For the last month and a half I put a barrel in the shower, the kind that we fill with olives, and I bought an attachment that acts like a faucet for the bath. I used it to bathe my daughters with six litres of water," one resident explains. Others report only intermittent supply—"we have water for about half a day"—low pressure and the relentless need to stockpile bottled water.

Shopkeepers and short-stay accommodation owners say they are topping up their own tanks with bottled water to keep businesses running and serve guests, while many families say they are ordering prepared food because they cannot cook at home. Several residents say they are considering cutting their holidays short and not returning next year unless the infrastructure improves.

Authorities point the finger at excessive consumption. Yorgos Janakaras, deputy mayor for water supply, irrigation and sewage of the municipality of Kassandra, told local officials that the prolonged shortages—most acute in recent days in the Hanioti area—are a result of overuse. Residents, however, say repeated calls to responsible services go unanswered and describe phone lines as "dead."

Photo: Arhiva