Athens revives 2,000-year-old aqueduct to combat water shortage
The Greek capital is using EU funds to repurpose ancient engineering for irrigation and cleaning.
Why are authorities in Athens restoring access to an ancient aqueduct?
Why are authorities in Athens restoring access to an ancient aqueduct?
Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
In a suburban area of Athens, the capital of Greece, workers are repairing a pump. The pump is connected to an ancient stone well that accesses an aqueduct built almost 2,000 years ago.
Officials are using European Union money to restore access to Hadrian’s Aqueduct. It is a 24km underground channel named after the Roman emperor, who funded its construction in the year 140.
Experts have hailed it as an “engineering marvel”.
Last year, public utility company Eydap repeatedly warned Athenians to save drinking water as reserves shrank. The Greek capital has been battling soaring temperatures and creaking infrastructure.
Katerina Apostolopoulou, who manages the project at Eydap, said the water from the aqueduct would not be of drinking quality. Instead, it would be used “to clean or to irrigate parks and gardens” in the summer.
Answer: to help Athens deal with a water shortage