Cyprus dam reserves have collapsed from 26.6% to just 10.8% in a single year, triggering an emergency presidential meeting last Wednesday as the island confronts one of its worst water crises in decades.
President Nikos Christodoulides heard a stark warning from the Water Development Department: without a 10% cut in consumption and rapid desalination expansion, dam exhaustion is inevitable.
This winter has already become the worst on record for water inflows to the Southern Conveyor system, making 2025 the 8th-worst year since 1901.
The crisis has been compounded by past policy failures. The WDD revealed that limited budgets and delayed approvals kept desalination plants idle during 2019-2022.
Had they run at full capacity, 110 million cubic metres of water—more than three times current reserves—would have been added to the balance.
Emergency desalination drive
The government is now racing to maximise production. Mobile desalination units in Garyllis and Limassol Port will start operating in February, joining existing plants in Moni and Kissonerga.
Combined with permanent facilities in Paphos, Episkopi, Vasiliko, Larnaca and Dhekelia, total capacity will reach 282,000 cubic metres daily—a 20% jump covering 80% of current needs.
Three more mobile units are being tendered for Episkopi, Ayia Napa and Vasiliko, with another planned for Mazotos.
The government is negotiating with the UAE for additional equipment and considering a floating plant in Germasogeia, where an undersea pipeline from Greece was installed in 2008.
By 2029, two new permanent plants in Famagusta and eastern Limassol will run on renewable energy, enabling Cyprus to meet 100% of government-served areas’ needs through desalination.
The 2026 water budget has soared to €195.7 million—the largest ever—with €140 million earmarked exclusively for buying desalinated water.
The 700-litre problem
However, infrastructure takes months to build. Immediate salvation depends on citizens slashing consumption.
“Citizens are consuming up to 700 litres daily, when the average should be 120 litres,” WDD sources said. Getting households down to 120 litres per person would buy critical time for projects to come online before dams run dry.
From February, every household, business and public office will receive free tap aerators to reduce flow.
The “Stagonometro” app will let families track whether they’re over-consuming.
Schools will run weekly conservation activities, whilst city squares will display each province’s progress towards the 10% target.
The WDD stressed this is the only measure delivering immediate impact—unlike pipes and plants that require months to complete.
Network losses and reform
Leaking pipes remain a chronic drain. The government has allocated €10.5 million to replace ageing infrastructure and €300,000 per province for 12-hour emergency repairs.
The first comprehensive study of actual network losses—previously only estimated—has begun and will conclude in 2027. The government is also planning a unified Water Authority by 2027 to replace the current fragmented system and enable effective crisis management.