Heavy rainfall over the past three days has brought significant but insufficient relief to Cyprus’s struggling reservoirs, with dam levels remaining at historically low levels despite improved inflows.
The recent storms delivered 9.2 million cubic metres (MCM) of water to the island’s dams, with nearly half—4.5 MCM—flowing into the critical Southern Conveyor dams, according to official figures from the Water Development Department.
These dams, which include Kouris, Kalavasos, Lefkara, Dipotamos, Germasogeia, Polemidia and Arminou, form the backbone of water supply for large areas of the island.
Experts are sounding the alarm despite the impressive inflows: the situation remains dire and the threat of water shortage has not receded.
This year shows notable momentum compared with recent years. Total inflows to date have reached 28.4 MCM, compared with last year’s total of 18.6 MCM and 24.7 MCM the year before.
Yet despite surpassing the past two years’ figures, overall dam capacity stands at just 17.2%, down dramatically from 25.9% on the same date last year.
At Kouris, Cyprus’s largest dam, the three-day inflow reached 1.6 MCM. Total stored water now stands at 16.6 MCM—a meagre 14.5% of capacity. On the same day last year, the dam stood at 21.5%. Since 1 October 2025, 3.9 MCM has been transferred from Arminou dam to boost Kouris.
The overall picture offers little cause for celebration. Total stored water across all dams amounts to 50 MCM (17.2% capacity), compared with 75.4 MCM (25.9%) on the same date last year.
January and February inflows of 12.6 MCM and 13.5 MCM respectively show clear improvement over the exceptionally dry autumn, but the deficit accumulated over previous years remains enormous. Capacity levels remain at historic lows for most major dams, making rational water management an urgent necessity.
The figures are clearly better than the previous two years, despite worrying totals through December. December 2025 inflows reached just 2.2 MCM, compared with 8.8 MCM in December 2024 and 4.5 MCM in December 2023.
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