Cyprus has launched a countrywide water conservation campaign as dam levels across the island fall to just 21% of capacity, with the government targeting a 10% cut in consumption by 2026.
The campaign, titled “Water for Tomorrow,” is led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment in cooperation with the Press and Information Office and the Water Development Department (WDD), with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth also taking part.
Cyprus remains one of the most water-scarce countries in the EU. The year 2025 was recorded as the eighth worst for rainfall since 1901, and average annual rainfall has fallen by around 10% since the mid-1990s. Average daily consumption stands at 140 litres per person, with the campaign aiming to bring that figure down to 125 litres. A 10% reduction would save approximately 10 million cubic metres of water, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
The campaign borrows the visual style of the popular TV series Stranger Things. Cinematic teasers contrast children anxiously watching water levels fall with adults glued to their screens. “The level is dropping. Time for everyone to press the button,” the spots warn, directing viewers to download the new “Stagono-metro” app to track their consumption.
The Press and Information Office is producing two documentaries as part of the drive. “Water Speaks” addresses water use in the tourism industry and on golf courses, and explains the high energy costs of desalination. “Water Remembers” focuses on the Kouris dam — the largest in Cyprus, serving the districts of Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca and Famagusta — which currently holds 22 million cubic metres of water at 19% capacity. The tagline is direct: “If Kouris runs dry, we all run dry.” Both films will be distributed to schools and other organisations as awareness material.
The WDD has launched a tender for three million tap aerators and shower flow reducers, to be posted to 600,000 households across Cyprus. A digital platform will allow residents to report on installation progress. Separately, 1,500 water-saving devices are already being procured for businesses, with the scheme set to expand island-wide.
Households are being advised to adopt ten practical habits, including turning off taps while brushing teeth, choosing showers over baths, running washing machines only when full, watering gardens in the early morning or late afternoon, and reporting leaks in public spaces to the authorities.
The Ministry of Education has launched a parallel programme called “Not a Drop Wasted.” Education Minister Athena Michailidou announced the installation of grey water systems — which reuse washbasin water — in schools, alongside a campaign called “Words Flow, Not Water” encouraging pupils to become advocates for conservation. WDD officers have already visited more than 30 schools in Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos in 2026, with the programme set to expand across all free areas of Cyprus.
The ministry is also promoting smart irrigation systems, boreholes and low water-demand plant species through its “Greening My School” programme, and is rolling out water coolers in schools as part of a drive to reduce plastic bottle use.
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