Mediterranean

Region of Attica, GR
The Attica region in Greece faces significant water scarcity and drought challenges due to its geographical characteristics, overexploitation of water resources, and water management inefficiencies. As a typical Mediterranean area, it is increasingly affected by climate change and other global pressures.

Introduction

The growing population of Athens, combined with rapid urbanization, tourism, and agricultural demands, has significantly increased water consumption, placing immense pressure on already limited resources. This demand, together with inadequate infrastructure in certain areas, further exacerbates water scarcity. Overexploitation of both surface and groundwater has led to the depletion of local sources and, in coastal regions, the risk of seawater intrusion into aquifers. Additionally, water quality is increasingly threatened by pollution from agricultural runoff (fertilizers and pesticides), untreated wastewater, industrial discharges, and urban runoff.

To address these pressing challenges, scalable and transferable solutions are needed, focusing on water recycling and reuse, resource efficiency and conservation, advanced decision-support tools, stakeholder engagement, public awareness, and policy enhancement.

Solutions

Adaptation Pathways

Impact chains (IC)

Drinking water for the wider Attica region is largely supplied by Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP). The water supply system essentially relies on four reservoirs: Mornos, Evinos, Yliki and Marathonas. Out of those, only Marathonas is in the Region of Attica. Furthermore, groundwater is also used by the system, mainly as a backup source. Agricultural water demand in Attica is largely covered via groundwater extractions. To an extent, groundwater is also used for industrial uses.

An impact chain is here presented and used to calculate the risk of stress on the water resources, deterioration of living standards and economic losses due to socio-economic drought. In this context, factors that can contribute to the quantification of this risk were identified. These factors include climatic variables (hazards), exposure and vulnerability elements.

Meteorological drought induced by climate change will propagate to the surface water and groundwater bodies, reducing the available water resources. This reduction (especially when accompanied with an increase in water demands by the societies exploiting those resources) can trigger socio-economic drought. This can affect the population of East Attica, as well as the different economic activities such as agriculture and industry, which are considered here. Those are used in the impact chain as exposure elements. The related risks would further increase with an increase in population (e.g. due to urbanization), as well as the intensification of agricultural activities and the expansion of industry.

The vulnerability elements express the potential inadequacy of the water supply system by EYDAP to meet the demands, while also the dependency of the different considered water uses on the water supply system by EYDAP and the groundwater bodies. Vulnerability can decrease by a) reducing the water demands, e.g. via raising public awareness and implementing relevant policies and b) partially “decoupling” the water demands from the central water supply network and the groundwater, e.g. via decentralized systems (rainwater harvesting, sewer mining), reuse of treated water from the WWTPs (for irrigation), improved agricultural practices and desalination.

Pathway Map

Innovation Packages: Driving Climate transformation

The IMPETUS Project was designed to accelerate Europe’s journey to climate-neutrality by 2050, moving beyond incremental fixes to deliver fundamental, transformative adaptation actions. The central idea is that successful climate adaptation requires both innovation and transformation, a systemic overhaul of how societies, ecosystems, and economies respond to climate risks.

Innovation Packages are the core output of the IMPETUS project. They synthesize and organize the results from our demonstration sites across Europe into a clear, actionable framework built on three essential components:

  1. Resilience Knowledge Boosters (RKBs)
    • What they are: Multidisciplinary communities, supported by a digital platform, aimed at enhancing regional climate resilience.
    • How they work: They facilitate stakeholder engagement and co-creation, promoting knowledge exchange to develop effective adaptation strategies. RKBs integrate both human and technological dimensions, utilizing digital tools to inform decisions.
    • Impact: Each RKB is developed for a specific case study, engaging local communities to explore and share knowledge on adaptation while showcasing concrete solutions and pathways to resilience.
  2. Adaptation Pathways
    • Long-term Roadmaps: These are stepwise roadmaps that provide a flexible, long-term vision for managing climate uncertainty.
    • Managing Tipping Points: They are designed to identify when current adaptation measures will reach their limits (tipping points) and when stronger or new measures must be introduced to maintain resilience.
  3. Portfolios of Solutions
    • Tested Options: A curated collection of rigorously tested options (technological, nature-based, and governance-related) ready for adaptation, scaling, or replication across other regions.
    • Integrated Measures: These portfolios integrate both structural measures (e.g., advanced water treatment, green infrastructure) and essential enabling conditions (e.g., finance mechanisms, governance reforms, digital tools, training).

IMPETUS aims for Transformational Adaptation—not just adjusting existing systems, but fundamentally rethinking and restructuring them. This involves:

  • Holistic Scope: Adopting systemic, cross-sectoral, and integrated approaches to change.
  • Deep Impact: Addressing governance structures, social behavior, and ecological resilience simultaneously.
  • Shifting Pathways: Restructuring systems toward sustainable pathways rather than reinforcing unsustainable ones.
  • Inclusivity: Embedding participation, equity, and strong local ownership in all solutions.
  • Future-Looking: Ensuring solutions are durable and effective in the face of long-term climate change.

IMPETUS runs demonstration sites in seven diverse European biogeographical regions, each facing distinct climate risks (from droughts and heat stress to floods and sea-level rise). By developing and testing Innovation Packages, the project achieves critical outcomes:

  • Builds a common, unified knowledge base for climate adaptation.
  • Facilitates mutual learning and knowledge transfer between regions.
  • Identifies key enabling factors such as finance, governance, and digitalization.
  • Accelerates the replication and upscaling of successful adaptation measures.

For the Attica Region (including Athens), where water scarcity, drought, and urban flooding are critical risks, the Innovation Package delivered:

  • Attica Digital Twin: A dynamic, virtual representation of the region serving as a central hub for knowledge sharing. It features solutions like Sewer Mining (for decentralized water recycling) and Controlled Environmental Agriculture (to optimize water and energy efficiency in farming).
  • Adaptation Pathways for Socioeconomic Drought: Pathways developed using the Dynamic Contingency Response Tool (DCRT) to build resilience by reducing socioeconomic drought risk. Interventions are sequenced to optimize risk reduction against cost, guiding substantial investment.
  • A Portfolio of Solutions: Tested options covering water management, agriculture, and urban resilience, including Reforestation service, advanced Flood Risk Analysis tools, and Meteorological Heatmaps for real-time situational awareness.

This package is designed to support the master planning of key actors like the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP), demonstrating a strong potential to guide long-term water management strategies.

Download the full report for the Attica Region Innovation Package here:

Download Report

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101037084
Funded in the EU Horizon 2020 Green Deal call