One section of the Pineios River, one of the largest rivers in Greece, has completely dried out this summer, presenting a landscape that bears a greater resemblance to a desert than the green landscape of Thessaly.
The section of the river which has become dry is in the Trikala area. According to the news website Trikalavoice.gr, the river’s normal water flow is being completely diverted this year to meet the irrigation needs of the Thessalian Plain after it reaches the Kalambaka area.
There is especially heavy irrigation of crops in June, including hundreds of thousands of hectares of cotton, corn and tobacco, using water from the Pineios River.
This practice has resulted in the riverbed becoming completely exposed after that point this year, making it look more like desert terrain.
Just a few kilometers downstream, however, several tributaries enter the riverbed, making the Pineios look again like the river that locals and visitors know.
