Newsroom
Cyprus is bringing in some high-tech help from the desert to beat the heat and the drought. President Nicos Christodoulides announced that mobile desalination units from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be brought in to cover the island’s water needs for 2025.
According to Deputy Government Spokesman Yiannis Antoniou, the first of 15 mobile units will be installed in Paphos and Limassol, the two areas hardest hit by water shortages. Speaking on SPOR FM’s "Diaspora News," Antoniou explained that Cyprus had tried to purchase its own units, but since none were available, it reached out to a friendly ally for support.
The UAE answered the call.
“These units will cover next year’s needs, and we’ve already chosen the locations,” Antoniou said, adding that everything is moving according to plan.
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed the collaboration was the result of ongoing, behind-the-scenes coordination with UAE officials. “We’ve made the necessary arrangements, and things are on track,” he said after a Cabinet meeting.
Letymbiotis emphasized that the government isn’t sitting back. “We’ll keep pushing for maximum access to water,” he said, reminding citizens that water use needs to remain responsible. “Indiscriminate use is not an option.”
He also pointed to worsening climate conditions and the recent fire at the Paphos desalination plant as major setbacks, but not ones that will derail long-term planning. The UAE’s help, he said, is a much-needed boost that keeps Cyprus on course.
On the question of irrigation, Letymbiotis clarified that meeting household water needs will ease pressure elsewhere, benefiting agriculture too.
