Anyone fancy a protest march.

can't really add anything to what box number 2 said. bunch of whinging selfcentered idiots - will they be first up against the wall when the revolution comes?

NO, They should have no rights at all if it means to have their pools runs others short of water. Sounds like a bunch of spoiled, greedy a$$es to me.

If there is a water shortage then it's a very frivolous expectation......and they don't have the right to more water then others because of their wealth....unfortunately some people with more money think it makes them superior to others....I am sure the council will figure something out.....I can't believe they could just shut your water off....hopefully anyway!

So these ex pat's, I feel I should know what that means, but I don't... Are they from a different culture? You say they can't speak greek? Well I think that they should not have the right to protest, especially if their pools were not properly permitted or warranted! Their is a water shortage from time to time here, but it all depends really.

I can think to at least 2 quick solutions the local council can offer to those "drivers with swimming pool": - first option: I would suply them sea water, twice a week, directly in them pools, including whatever life forms comes with. With the time maybe some of them will become fishermans and they will by them self gave up to pools in favour of going to sea or even buying boats with .. swimming pools - second option (for stubborn people): allow them a certain quantity of clean tap water weekly. Just exactly enough to fill the pool. That would be monday. No more water on them faucets until next monday. While they will like to use the pool more on weekend (maybe pool-parties too ..), the water will be allready bad color and smelling .. so they will ask - at a certain moment - for option one (above) Also, as ultimate solution, I would recommend them bottled water wholesalers ..

...Hi theo09, Right to protest? They want to swim when the taps are running dry? Well if there is no law against people in Greece staging a protest, with a permit if legally required, then I guess they can protest. But how crazy are they to have fits like spoiled brats who can't have their ice cream when they want it? I think it is absolutely disgraceful, the planet, as far as I am concerned is running out of water. Alabama and Georgia over here, were going to court over the right to have water come into one of the states through the other. Wicked fight it was. And they want to swim, what did the Queen say, "let them eat cake"? What mind sets they have. They should make them drain the pools and close them forever. They've lost it. Take care.

Hi Thea! How about posting a notice agreeing they should be entitled to have ALL the water they could possibly want..so long as they're prepared to bucket chain it up to their pool from the sea? I take it that it's fresh,potable water they're using at the moment to fill up with..how does the water rate get worked out? Is the water metered to houses,or could Officialdom bring in metering for these pools? Are there reservoirs or are desalinisation plants used to produce drinking water?

They are entitled to exactly the same consideration as anyone else that pays taxes in Greece. They strike me as selfish however. Presumably they have moved to Greece to take advantage of the milder climate and the warm sun. Unfortunately there is a downside and that is that there is just not the water supply that they have "enjoyed" at home - where there have also been water shortages about which swimming pool owners have complained. Many will have visited initially as tourists staying in hotels which, at a guess, get some dispensation in respect of water supply because they bring in hard cash. My view is that they are perfectly entitled to enquire about what can be done, but an outward show of protest but no effort to contribute to solving the problem will result in a "them and us" situation that will lead to increased friction and frustration. So in short - they should only protest if they are being treated differently to the local Greeks, which I presume that they are not.

hi thea will in myeyes those ex-pats if any are Americans' are giving us a bad name. the nerve to ask for water for'their swimming pools when water is in scarce supply is really just'too much. They would rather have the rest of the Greek people go without so they can swim,thats really just too too much nerve'on their part no they have no right at all to protest, they come to a country with a water shortage then complain about their damned swimming pools,shame shame shame on them. they give us Americans a really bad name, as we are not all like that. If they have to swim let them go to the nearest river or lake,I have never been to Greece, and jump in there,he he he. I have no sympathy with expats who demand such ridiculous things in a country that is not even their own. They don't like your conditions let them go back to their own countries.

Water for drinking, industry, farming is first... Swimming pools are last.

I would protest if I didn't have any water. I would have been holding a sign at the locale whatever's office until the police hauled me away

Many parts of Australia, including the part I live in, have been suffering water shortages for ten years or more, and we are on strict rations. Unless you have rainwater tanks (and I'm somewhat surprised that you didn't mention these in Greece, don't they have them?) you have to water your gardens by hand, and you can't wash your cars except by bucket water, let alone fill your swimming pool. If you exceed the per person allotment of water in a billing period you are penalised, and there are severe fines for breaking the ration laws. This means that even tenth generation Aussies, let alone more recent comers, can't fill their pools from the piped water supply. But the wealthy have always thought they were more deserving than the poor, and the lot you are talking about seem to fit that bill. I say put them up against the wall, shoot them, sell their property, and spend it all on a desalination plant. Back to water tanks. Why on earth don't Greek houses use them? The water is sweeter, cleaner, and its free. Plastic compound tanks are remarkably cheap, and a 10,000 litre will just about keep a small household going for a year, unless there is total drought. Maybe there's a big export market here for Aussie tank manufacturers. Lash Lash

Wow!Let me see if i understand you. There is a water shortage in the summer and these people are demanding water for their swimming pools? They sound like americans. Unreasonable and unfair. I can't imagine people wanting to fill a swimming pool while people are needing the same water to drink and sustain life.

ex-pats demanding water?...(i guess there are not many Indian ex-pats there...). we are very well used to water shortages so it is not much of a problem. but yes protests have become fairly common here, some genuine and some not. no offense but western countries do have a poor record when it comes to conserving the natural resources. yes there are many things that we take for granted and when we don't get it we resort to protest. we have spoilt ourselves with what we consider as abundant resources (just because it is available, even if by creating some noise) sooner or later we all have to get used to dwindling resources.

so..the new people from elsewhere are demanding water rights over the residents who are used to shortages? you guys should laugh in their faces,and go back to whatever you were doing. that is so rude to move somewhere and ask for special treatment. having said that,we have the same problem.we have new people moving in from surrounding states complaining about everything under the sun that the residents have never had a problem with.

The answer to your last question...on ONE WORD....NO! But then, NOT knowing your building regulations & ordinances, it is hard to make a judgment! Here, a building permit, MUST have an inclusion for the Pool, and if it is an "add-on" at a later date, a building permit (money grab) must be applied for, as the water consumption will be taken into consideration! In Municipalities,(cities, towns) water is metered, in unorganized territories like where I live, Water must be PROVED, e.g.,your well can meet the requirements (including your septic field)! I know I am not treating this with levity....but I as so fully aware of living without water, as my well at one time, produced 2.5 gallons per minute, not a lot! Blasting & drilling behind my property changed my aquafer, and water was reduced to 1/16th gallon a minute. Here, catchment must be implemented (rain water) before a pool can be constructed, as your well may/may not be draining some-one else's underground supply! There was a time, that waterfront homes could intall desalinization, or reverse osmosis for consumption and extraneous use...NOT SO, anymore, as the saline content, released back into the Ocean, changes the ecological balance, resulting in deaths of indigenous species! A swimming pool is a luxury...and SHOULD NOT COMPROMISE the availability of water to others! And the biggest swimming pool in the world surrounds Greece! Cheers, dear friend, hope you are smiling lots.

I think they are wrong to protest. We have water shortages here, too, and the laws state that we aren't even allowed to water outdoor plants or wash our cars when the shortage is bad. A long time ago, we had the "odd/even" days of using water. Those with house numbers on the even side could use water on even-numbered days (2, 4, 6, etc.) and vice versa for the other side. I never saw anyone breaking the law. Pools were out of the question during water shortages. It was understood that there was not enough water for swimming pools and no one pushed the issue. Demanding water for pools when there is a water shortage is just plain stupid and selfish, if you ask me. If there might not be enough water to drink, cook with or bathe in, maybe then they'll understand that pools are a low priority.

The water should go for drinking and farming first. Water for peoples pools should come last, and you would think that people would not be that selfish when their is a shortage of it.