Argophilia - February 6th Water shortages and climate change—two global catastrophes that keep experts squabbling and the rest of us wondering if our faucets will ever stop running with a lofty mission to sort out these messes The initiative boasts a fancy title no one can remember—so TRANSCEND will do the project strives for breakthroughs under the HORIZON EUROPE financial programme Crete, a key partner (and no stranger to water issues), played host for the second workshop on 4 February 2025 the Regional Vice Governor for Environmental Affairs He stood in for Crete’s Regional Governor But what’s a workshop without stakeholders Representatives from organisations managing Tympaki’s water basin sat through presentations and split into discussion groups to brainstorm actual solutions Experts detailed how TRANSCEND examines water management and economic systems aiming to predict future scenarios—because why not throw in some hypotheticals to the already chaotic world we live in it was time to let stakeholders have their say They heard about how climate change and economic development are the unwelcome guests at Tympaki’s water party They even got busy drafting theoretical Adaptive Reform Policies (ARPs)—measures to (hopefully) reduce impacts and adapt to future challenges TRANSCEND isn’t just sticking to Tympaki The project is setting up seven “living labs” worldwide to test its shiny new ideas Think of these as science-y playgrounds where TRANSCEND will throw out theories and see what sticks TRANSCEND wants to craft a system that combines knowledge-sharing and toolkits for monitoring and enforcement It doesn’t sound simple because it isn’t the hope is that it will help regions like Tympaki deal with water shortages while balancing economic and social challenges These policies aim to tackle water woes with innovative distribution systems and financial strategies while ensuring fairness and sustainable growth Will TRANSCEND succeed where others have floundered Can a room full of experts and stakeholders work through disagreements to solve two of the planet’s biggest problems Iorgos Pappas is Argophilia's travel and lifestyle co-editor and reporter and has accumulated most of his frequent flier miles from trips to and from Belgium 2025-04-22 By A young Dutch tourist was hospitalized after falling 25 meters in Samaria Gorge He is in stable condition at Chania Hospital’s Neurosurgery Clinic 2025-04-22 By Let’s Go for Horta in Chania from April 26-27 the study to revive and reuse the illustrious Villa Pologiorgis in Amperia officially got a handshake—or No sooner had the mayor’s pen touched paper than a room of deputies The contract—routinely titled “Study for […] 2025-04-22 By and demand fueled by good weather and tradition 2025-04-22 By Hoteliers in Crete witnessed record Easter occupancy but the Crete tourist season hurdles are just starting More Crete travel news COPYRIGHT © 2025 · ARGOPHILIA TRAVEL NEWS The largest subsea cable system in the world has arrived at Vodafone Greece’s cable landing station at Tympaki The advanced fibre optic cable used in the project with a capacity of up to 180 terabits per second is a significant innovation and will provide faster and more reliable internet services for telecom customers in Greece the 2Africa project aims to significantly improve the capacity and availability of internet connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world 2Africa is the first subsea cable system to offer continuous capacity around the African continent the network will connect 33 countries across three continents: Africa The 2Africa consortium includes eight international partners: Bayobab Alcatel Submarine Networks is responsible for the construction and installation of the 45,000-kilometre-long cable system Vodafone is the cable’s landing partner in Crete 99.5% of the world’s international data traffic is carried through thousands of miles of subsea cables Vodafone is one of the largest investors in this critical network infrastructure Vodafone has capacity on 80 subsea cable systems reaching 100 countries – more than 1 million kilometres of cable on the seabed in total helping to keep our customers connected at all times we also connected Crete to the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) cable system from the Tympaki landing station The IEX system connects Mumbai to Europe and extends east to Singapore through the India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system Learn about the history of subsea cables and their importance to today’s international data traffic in our subsea cable explainer video Visit our subsea cables page for more information and news We use cookies to improve your experience on this site. Read our policy Vodafone Greece welcomed the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) cable system, one of the largest submarine cable systems in the world, to Crete The IEX system will be connected to Vodafone Greece’s cable station in the area The nearly 10,000 km of the IEX system is part of a transcontinental project that includes the India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system. IEX connects Mumbai to Europe and seamlessly interconnects the shores of Mumbai extending IEX east with IAX to reach Singapore The IEX cable reaches the Middle East and Africa (Oman Saudi Arabia and Egypt) as well as the Mediterranean Sea The Tympaki station in Crete will be the first cable receiving station in southern Crete offering increased capacity and resilience to the infrastructure on the island and away from northern Crete where most submarine cables are concentrated so far This submarine fibre optic cable sealing station will be open to all projects and providers on a fair and equal basis and is expected to attract investment from other major cables that will connect Crete to different parts of the world “The inauguration of the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) confirms our initial belief that the new station in Tympaki will create the expected added value in the connectivity of Greece and Crete being the first station in the southern part of the island,” said Nikos Plevris “As undersea cables connect regions and continents bridging geographical barriers and enabling global connectivity Greece can be part of a system that connects countries regions and remote areas to the internet and telecommunications networks “The prospects arising from this investment are expected to put Greece back on the global digital map and offer additional opportunities for Vodafone’s partners and connectivity resellers in the region.” READ MORE: Migrant Arrivals in Crete Surge as Over 230 Reach Island from North Africa Over Weekend