The annual report of 2008 is a continuation of the 2007 and 2006 report of the Survey and it presents the geological happenings that were implemented last year and aims to present the work that was conducted, the research programs that were planned and completed, as well as the services and expert advice that were provided to the public and the private sector.

The duties and responsibilities of the Department cover a wide spectrum of activities. The three main thematic units, Water Resources – Mineral Resources – Urban Environment, constitute the backbone of the Department’s work, where the largest part of its human and economic resources is made available. The primary fields of the Department’s work include the detection of a  quifers and the satisfaction of the modern society’s needs in terms of quality and quantity, the guarantee of suitable, good quality mineral resources for raw material in the construction and building industry, as well as the foundation of a safe Urban Environment in combination with the knowledge of geohazards and the evaluation of its vulnerability. Climatic changes, with prolonged and repeating drought years, deplete groundwater resources and the natural environment making the risk for desertification an evident hazard.

In parallel, ongoing water pollution and contamination hazard, depletion of the natural environment due to natural and anthropogenic causes and the reduction of mineral reserves   necessitate the sustainable management with environmentally friendly methods.

It is our appreciation that our Department fulfills sufficiently, professionally and effectively its role and mission that it has undertaken for the state and its citizens. The Department methodizes the confrontation of challenges by planning and applying rational strategy within the framework of sustainability and protection of the environment.