On April 19, IANIC, as a proud Member of Olympios Group and a digital transition catalyst, actively participated in the inaugural 1st Hellenic Water Forum, powered by Olympios Group, at the Conference Center of National Insurance. The gathering, under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation, the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) and the Hellenic Association of Municipal Water and Sewerage Utilities (EDEYA), provided a pivotal platform to delve into critical water management issues.
Among the keynote speakers were the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Skylakakis, the Minister of Digital Governance, Mr. Papastergiou, the First Vice-President of RAAEU, Chairman of the Water Sector, Mr. Psychogiόs, and the President of EDEYA and Mayor of Rethymno, Mr. Marinakis. The presentations covered a wide range of topics, including technological innovations, policy commitment and the creation of new financing tools for water management. Additionally, the importance of digitizing water infrastructure was highlighted.
In his opening speech at the Forum, Mr. Dimitris Foufeas, Co-Founder of Olympios Group, emphasized the need for coordinated efforts and collaborations to address the challenges of water resource management in Greece. He underscored the critical role of climate change in disrupting the water cycle and advocated for a holistic approach to addressing the problem of water scarcity, respecting local specificities. Finally, he reiterated Olympios Group’s commitment to making essential contributions to sustainable solutions, always with respect for both people and the environment.
During the panel discussion on “Water Technology Trends 2024,” IANIC CEO, Mr. Angelos Dragkolas, discussed IANIC’s scope of action, including the large-scale IoT smart water project, managing 700 thousand digital water meters and 1200 local telemetry stations in total in Greece. He also highlighted technological trends and their pivotal role in sustainable water management, emphasizing the importance of continuity, completion and maintenance of digitization projects. Moreover, he addressed the need to staff water services with adequately trained personnel and to provide financial resources to support digital transformation and software integration for managing Big Data.
