Newsroom
Cyprus’s water reserves show some improvement compared with last year, but concerns about long-term supply have not disappeared.
As of mid-April 2026, the island’s 18 main dams are holding about 107 million cubic meters of water, which corresponds to 36.8% of their total capacity. This marks a noticeable increase from the same period in 2025, when reserves were significantly lower. The stronger position suggests that the immediate threat, feared earlier in the year, of reservoirs running completely dry later in 2026 has eased.
Even so, the situation is far from secure. Last year, water levels were preserved largely because of strict limits on irrigation. Those restrictions had serious consequences for agriculture: farmers without access to private boreholes suffered crop losses and now worry that similar cutbacks could return if conditions worsen again.
Another critical element is the role of desalination. Although the government has set a target to fully cover drinking water needs through desalinated supply, that objective has not yet been achieved. As a result, dams continue to supplement water provision, especially important as demand is expected to rise sharply during the summer months.
There have also been operational setbacks. Some desalination plants have experienced technical issues that reduced their output, meaning that reservoir levels, particularly in the Southern Conveyor system, could have been higher under normal conditions.
In short, while current figures offer cautious optimism compared to last year, Cyprus remains dependent on a delicate balance between rainfall, reservoir management, desalination capacity, and agricultural demand.
