Apostolos Tomaras
The mobile desalination units donated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrived in Cyprus within the expected timeframe, marking a key step in the government’s plan to address water shortages ahead of summer. The Ministry of Agriculture celebrated the arrival with a symbolic welcome at Larnaca Port, where Minister Maria Panayiotou oversaw the unloading of the equipment. In a social media post, the minister expressed relief and gratitude for the timely delivery.
The Water Development Department (WDD) received 13 mobile units, which will now be transferred to Limassol for installation at a designated site. A 14th unit is expected to arrive in the coming days and will also be moved to Limassol. According to the final government plan, the bulk of the desalination effort will focus on the Moni area, where all 13 UAE-supplied units will be installed. The 14th unit will eventually be deployed to Paphos to temporarily support the local water supply until the Achna plant is back online. A second unit for Paphos, likely to be sourced from Greece as previously reported by Kathimerini, is also in the pipeline.
The next challenge
With the arrival phase complete, the next milestone for the WDD is to have the units fully operational by the end of June. This will not be straightforward, as several technical steps must be completed first. The containers must be securely installed, connected to seawater intake infrastructure, and pass a testing phase before receiving final approval from both Cypriot and UAE technical teams.
According to Kathimerini sources, even the unit designated for Paphos will first be tested in Moni. The Limassol units have a combined production capacity of 13,650 cubic meters of water per day, while the additional unit for Paphos will be able to produce up to 2,000 cubic meters daily.
Potential technical hiccups
The next few weeks will determine whether the desalination units are fully compatible with local conditions. One concern flagged by officials is the salt density in Mediterranean seawater, which differs from that of the Gulf region. This could affect the efficiency of the membranes used in the filtration system. If issues arise, replacing the membranes will be necessary—a process that may delay the deployment of certain units.
Despite these technical uncertainties, the government remains optimistic that all systems will be up and running by the end of June. Even in the event of delays, the WDD has contingency plans to ensure uninterrupted water supply during the summer peak.
*This article was translated from its Greek original
