Athens Revives Hadrian’s Aqueduct to Help With Water Crunch

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Hadrian’s Aqueduct supplied water to Greece’s capital for centuries but was then largely abandoned. It’s being revived to ease water scarcity amid global warming.

People peer through an open doorway into an underground space with several columns and arched ceilings.
A section of Hadrian’s Aqueduct in Athens. Its 15-mile network runs beneath the city and is still functional.Credit...Byron Smith for The New York Times

Niki Kitsantonis

Dec. 7, 2024, 12:01 a.m. ET

After climate change brought another year of record-breaking heat and dwindling rainfall to Greece, the reservoirs that supply water to Athens have dropped to their lowest levels in over a decade. Farmers are struggling to produce crops, wildfires have increased the demand for water and priests are conducting prayers for rain.

So in addition to investing in modern water-sourcing measures like a new artificial lake and desalination units, Athens is turning to an older asset: an aqueduct that dates back to when Greece was part of the Roman Empire.

“We have an ancient monument and feat of engineering that we’re bringing into the present to save water and cool the city,” said Katerina Dimitrou of the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company, which has worked with the Culture Ministry and local authorities to revive the aqueduct.

The aim is to supplement the water supply, help cool areas by irrigating green spaces and, more broadly, said Ms. Dimitrou, “create a new water culture.”

Image

An element of the aqueduct’s well structure towering over part of the city’s 2004 Olympic Games complex.Credit...Byron Smith for The New York Times

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