A restoration of the Katouris River dam has prevented a potential water emergency in the Tylliria region, with the reservoir reaching full capacity on Saturday following an eleventh-hour cleaning operation.
The overflow, the first since the completion of a €492,000 upgrade, validates a race against time to desilt the colonial-era basin before the onset of winter rains. Residents and the local agricultural sector had faced water insecurity due to decades of neglect that had left the reservoir nearly choked by 90,000 cubic metres of sediment, rendering it ineffective against recurring droughts.
The project, which was fast-tracked in September 2025, involved the removal of over half a century of accumulated debris and the replacement of a primary dam gate that had been in situ since 1960. Jointly funded by the Water Development Department and the European Union, the works represent a strategic shift in managing the island’s ageing hydraulic infrastructure. Beyond mere storage, the project integrated a sustainable circular economy model; laboratory tests confirmed the extracted silt was nutrient-rich, allowing it to be repurposed as soil conditioner for local farms rather than being discarded as waste.
The successful overflow is being viewed by officials as a “major victory” for proactive maintenance over reactive emergency measures. The maintenance of the 1957-era infrastructure was a priority to protect the remote Tylliria enclave from isolation during periods of water scarcity.
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