ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean region is one of the most often drought-stricken regions of Europe, confronted with adverse economic and social impacts (Iglesias et al. 2007). The islands of the Aegean Archipelago, located in the Northeastern Mediterranean region, are highly vulnerable to drought (Karavitis et al. 2011), and face significant water deficits, due to their specific natural (isolated location, geographic fragmentation, high temporal variation of rainfall), physical (limited storage capacity and great dependency on groundwater sources), and socioeconomic (irrigated agriculture and tourism are the main sources of income) conditions. Currently applied water management practices (mainly water transfers from the mainland, and inadequate or non-operative desalination plants) have failed to deliver a sustainable solution towards adverse water related conditions (www.climateadaptation.eu/greece/droughts/). Integration of treated wastewater reuse into water resources management plans for the area is a significant issue, as it can provide a reliable alternative water source addressing both water demand and supply (Raso 2013, Gikas & Tchobanoglous 2009)
The aim of this paper is to assess the drought vulnerability of the Aegean islands and to identify the potential contribution of different adaptation options in vulnerability reduction, focusing on the reuse of treated wastewater. A comprehensive methodological framework is adopted for the vulnerability assessment, expressing natural, physical, socio-economic and institutional attributes of the examined areas. The proposed methodology is applied in the islands of Syros, Milos and Naxos in Cyclades complex, Greece, which were selected because of their negative water balance, high population and tourism development. Proxy indicators are used to identify the underlying drought vulnerability factors, forming an overall vulnerability index (VI). The anticipated contribution of wastewater reuse options to drought vulnerability reduction is assessed using the VI.
