Northern Corfu’s Water Woes: A Deeper Dive into the Crisis of Public Services
The idyllic landscapes of Northern Corfu are currently overshadowed by a brewing crisis that goes beyond mere seasonal inconvenades. Even before the peak tourist season commences, numerous areas are grappling with severe water shortages. This predicament has drawn sharp criticism from the Popular Rally of Northern Corfu, which has launched a scathing attack on the municipal authority, exposing a broader systemic failure in the provision and management of essential public services.
The core of the issue, as highlighted by the Popular Rally in their recent statement, lies in a series of questionable decisions and policies implemented by the municipal authority. These include:
- Arbitrary Billing Practices: Despite a new pricing policy approved in June 2025, which decoupled fixed charges from consumption, the absence of water meters has led to arbitrary billing. Residents are reportedly charged whatever the authority deems necessary, often without clear justification.
- “Head Tax” on Water: Recently, the municipality imposed a uniform charge for the same cubic meters of water on all properties, irrespective of their occupancy status (closed houses, individual households, or warehouses) in the municipal units of Esperion and Agios Georgios. This has been dubbed a “head tax” by critics.
- Intrusive Collection Methods: Municipal employees have allegedly trespassed onto private properties in Peroulades to remove water meters and have posted notices on doors in Karousades and other areas, threatening water disconnections and publicly shaming residents for unpaid bills, often with a sarcastic postscript: “If you have paid, thank you.”
- Collective Punishment: In a move that has sparked outrage, a document signed by the Mayor and the President of DEYABK (the municipal water company) was sent to community leaders in Northern Corfu, implicitly holding them responsible for their residents’ debts. The document threatens “water supply cuts to entire villages/settlements,” effectively penalizing all residents, including those who have paid their bills or have minimal outstanding amounts. This policy disproportionately affects ordinary households and small businesses, while large hotels and luxury villas with significant debts remain seemingly immune.
Who Pays the Price? The Burden on Ordinary Citizens
The Popular Rally argues that these authoritarian, extortionate, and arbitrary decisions by the municipal authority and DEYABK aim to offload the financial burden onto domestic users and small businesses. This includes covering the costs of damages to boreholes, reservoirs, and networks incurred during the winter, for which Northern Corfu has received no government funding despite promises and photo opportunities with ministers.
Furthermore, these policies are seen as a direct consequence of long-standing practices of undermining and underfunding DEYAs, leading to understaffing and paving the way for the privatization and commercialization of water. The municipal authority, according to the Popular Rally, is actively serving these policies.
“Behind the grand words about separating DEYABK, the same policy as the government is being implemented, which promotes the mergers of DEYAs, meaning the policy that turns water into a commodity and burdens the people,” the statement reads.
The Popular Rally points out a stark imbalance: domestic users, who consume less than 10% of the water, pay 65% of its value, while large consumers, who account for approximately 50% of water consumption, pay less than 20% of its value. This disparity, they contend, allows large users to operate with impunity while ordinary citizens bear the brunt of the costs.
Political Priorities: Marinas vs. Basic Needs
The criticism extends to the perceived priorities of the local government. While the government has provided “not a single cent” for affordable, quality water for the populace, or in some cases, simply water for basic hygiene, the municipal authority, instead of advocating for its citizens, resorts to threats and levies against the “usual scapegoats.”
A recent incident further fueled this sentiment: just a month prior, the Mayor and Deputy Mayors were seen smiling alongside the Deputy Minister of Shipping at the site of the Imerolia marina. This project, destined for exploitation by a business group, seems to have ample funding and will undoubtedly receive all the water it needs. The Popular Rally questions why, then, are there no funds for essential works or even basic water supply for the general public?
A Call to Action: Water is a Social Good
The Popular Rally unequivocally declares: “Water is not anyone’s property; it is a social good.” They are urging the residents of Northern Corfu to respond immediately to the authoritarianism of the municipal authority. They call for village assemblies, mobilizations, and a strong presence at the Municipal Council meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. The aim is to demand that residents not pay for the damages again and that the municipal authority withdraw its “despicable document,” which is designed to ignite social automatism.
Community leaders are also being called upon not to comply with the municipal authority’s “order.” Their role, the Popular Rally asserts, is not to extort their fellow villagers under threat of collective water disconnection, but to collectively demand cheap, quality water.
The crisis in Northern Corfu is more than a simple water shortage; it is a reflection of broader issues concerning governance, social equity, and the prioritization of public welfare over private interests. As the tourist season approaches, the spotlight remains firmly on the municipal authority, with residents and activists demanding accountability and a fundamental shift in policy.
Source: https://www.startmediacorfu.gr/laiki-syspeirosi-voreias-kerkyras-to-nero-den-einai-idioktisia-kanenos-einai-koinoniko-agatho/
