Evros farmers face water crisis: the lifeline from Bulgaria may be cut off

On an unusually warm January day in northern Greece, farmer Dimitris Marinoglou plowed his field, filled with anxiety. He feared that the water flowing from Bulgaria for decades, sustaining his family's crops, might be cut off this summer.

Since 1964, water from Bulgaria’s mountains has been flowing freely along the Arda River into the Evros plain in Greece as part of a World War II reparations agreement between the two countries. However, that deal expired last July, and Bulgaria is now reassessing its own water needs before deciding whether to renew the agreement.

This situation underscores just how critical and fragile water resources have become in Southern Europe, where climate change has made summers hotter and rainfall less frequent. Last year, Greece recorded both its warmest winter and hottest summer on record.

Farmers Protest: "Without Water, We Will Die"

Concerned about their future, Greek farmers staged a protest this week, blocking roads in the northern town of Kastanies. They accused the government of failing to act quickly to secure a new water deal before summer. Officials from Greece’s Ministry of Energy and Environment, however, stated that negotiations had been delayed due to political instability in Bulgaria.

In response, Bulgaria’s Ministry of Agriculture issued a statement: "Bulgaria must first and foremost meet its own national water needs... and only then consider the needs of neighboring countries."

Under the previous agreement, Bulgaria supplied 186 million cubic meters of water annually from hydroelectric dams to the Evros region between May and September—precisely when crops needed it most.

Although the deal officially expired last July, Greece and Bulgaria’s national electricity companies signed a last-minute agreement to extend water supplies until September. However, the terms of this new deal remain undisclosed.

Now, Greece hopes to restart negotiations next month, following the formation of a new government in Sofia. Whether a new agreement can be reached before May 1 remains uncertain.

"No one can say how close or far we are from an agreement," said Petros Varelidis, Secretary-General for Water Resources at Greece’s Ministry of Energy and Environment.

A Looming Threat: "If the Water Stops, Our Lands Will Turn to Desert"

At the protest in Kastanies, farmers lined up more than 100 tractors in a show of defiance, demanding government action. The uncertainty over the water deal tops a long list of their grievances, including soaring energy and production costs.

For 59-year-old farmer Nikos Poptsoglou, who depends on Bulgarian water for irrigation, the situation is dire: "If we don’t get a deal, it means death for us."

Poptsoglou explained that climate change had already reduced rainfall, making them even more dependent on Bulgarian water. Even before the agreement expired, drought conditions had slashed his farm’s production by 30-40% last year.

But the crisis extends beyond individual farms. According to Dimitris Drakoudis, head of a local farmers' association, the Bulgarian water supply is the only source of irrigation for the region. A local water reservoir is leaking and cannot retain water, further worsening the situation.

Meanwhile, more people are leaving the area, and fewer young people are staying to take up farming.

"If the water stops, the Evros region will be abandoned and turn into a desert," Drakoudis warned.

As night fell over the protest site in Kastanies, farmers huddled around their tractors, lighting fires to keep warm. They vowed to stay as long as necessary, determined to fight for the survival of their land and livelihoods.

For the farmers of Evros, this is not just about securing a deal. It is a fight for their very future.

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