The Hellenic Institute for the Environment and Re-Use (H.I.E.R.) is a non-governmental organization focussing on problems of water management. And according to its president, Nikos Bafitis, water is to become the sought-after white gold of this century. It is common knowledge that a global water crisis is fast approaching, as supplies all over the world are decreasing more rapidly than ever, due to waste, mismanagement and pollution.

Greece, with its scores of rocky, parched islands, is no exception. Though large amounts of state money have been spent to dig wells in an effort to combat the problem, they have, in effect, come up dry, as in about 90% of cases the water is unsuitable for human consumption. This is due to pollution caused when nitrates, contained in fertilizers, leach into the water table, or alternatively when salt water seeps in from the sea, as a result of over-pumping, which, in turn, causes the water table to fall below sea level. In effect, as Bafitis observes, "we are merely pumping out the mistakes of the past" from these wells.

The problem can be remedied, however, using purification systems, which make such water safe for drinking. The pilot system, put in place on Paros last August, was donated by U.S. company Ionics, a leader in the field, and is the first of its kind in Greece. It disinfects, filters and enriches the brackish river water, at a rate of 40 m³ per day. The water is then made available to residents and visitors for free.

The same systems can be used to purify sea water, although scrubbing out the larger amounts of sodium chloride makes the process seven times more expensive. Following the success of the Paros experiment, H.I.E.R. is hoping to expand the use of such purification systems to other parts of Greece, where potable water is in short supply.