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Cyprus is facing a worsening water crisis, with dam reserves down to just 11% of capacity, about 33 million cubic meters, compared to 27% last year, officials told Parliament’s Agriculture Committee on Tuesday.
Committee Chairman Giannakis Gavriel (AKEL) called the situation “dramatic,” warning that farmers “don’t have water to drink, let alone to sustain their crops.”
Agriculture Ministry Director General Andreas Grigoriou said the government is accelerating desalination and water recovery projects to confront the drought. Two new desalination units, in Garyllis and Limassol Port, are expected to begin operation before the end of 2025, while a fifth plant has been tendered in Episkopi. A new 10,000-cubic-meter unit is also planned for Famagusta, alongside an Electricity Authority facility in Vasiliko.
Existing facilities are being expanded. The UAE-donated Moni plant now produces 15,000 cubic meters daily, while the Kouklia and Kissonerga units in Paphos have boosted output, ensuring the district’s water supply for 2026, Grigoriou said.
Desalination, though vital, remains costly and environmentally taxing due to reliance on conventional electricity. The ministry plans to require renewable energy use in future contracts to cut costs and emissions.
Grigoriou also said 90% of irrigation water now comes from recycled sources, a sharp rise from 20% in 2023, and that income support is being prepared for farmers suffering losses from the drought.
Local officials from Limassol, Larnaca and Nicosia pressed for stronger state funding to modernize irrigation networks and reduce unbilled water losses. Nicosia’s representative noted that 70% of treated water from the Mia Milia plant, about 8 million cubic meters annually, remains unused but could soon be piped to free areas.
Lawmakers across parties expressed frustration. DISY MP Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis accused the government of “failing in water management,” while EDEK’s Elias Myrianthous called for a National Council on Water, describing the crisis as “the country’s second most serious issue after the Cyprus problem.”
Grigoriou defended his ministry’s efforts, saying officials “work day and night to ensure we don’t run out of water,” and insisted that despite the challenges, “the country has not run out of water.”
