00:00Extremely hot and there's not very little shade. I have to use a towel and I'm drinking
00:04a lot of water.
00:06These tourists aren't alone in suffering from the extreme heat in Athens. Cooling the Greek
00:11capital and saving water has become a top priority, especially given that this part
00:15of Europe is one of the fastest warming places on earth.
00:19One idea to address this is to tap into the city's ancient Roman aqueduct. That should
00:23exploit an unused water resource to create more green spaces.
00:27Oh my goodness. Wow, it's so cramped.
00:36Built nearly 2,000 years ago, Hadrian's aqueduct flows into the heart of Athens. Most of the
00:42ancient structure, like this part in the municipality of Hellandry, lies underground. Christos is
00:48showing me inside.
00:50Oh, it's cooler down here.
00:53Okay, here we are. Wow.
00:57So this was the main reservoir that was used to filter the water and clean the water.
01:03Where does the water come from?
01:05The Hadrian aqueduct hasn't got an obvious spring to carry the water to somewhere else.
01:11It soaks the water from the ground along its route. And this is important because the more
01:17you use the water, then the water returns. You enrich the water resource that we use.
01:23And why is this project important in the larger context?
01:27The Hadrian aqueduct, because it's still functioning, it still carries water that now goes wasted
01:31in the sea. When the new non-potable water pipelines start working, we're going to be
01:37saving 80,000 cubic meters per year.
01:41Athens is one of Europe's hottest and most densely built cities. In summer, there's a
01:46marked heat island effect. The extra water will help to irrigate green spaces like this
01:52and bring down temperatures. At the aqueduct's central reservoir, Yorgos tells me the project
01:58is also seeking to encourage a change in people's habits, so less water is wasted.
02:04Oh, wow. It's huge.
02:06The ultimate goal of the project is to create a culture in Athens. We want more green spaces
02:14and less waste of potable water for non-potable uses. And this project is just the beginning
02:22of a long strategy for that.
02:25A strategy that's already spreading its reach.
02:29There are plans to expand in the other boroughs of Athens that the Hadrian aqueduct runs.
02:35But also, we have started a collaboration with another five, six cities in Europe that
02:42combine cultural heritage with water heritage in order to make more green, sustainable
02:48and livable cities.
02:50That's it for this episode. See you soon for more Water Matters.
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