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An article from the Turkish edition of the Independent raises concerns about the possibility of Greek Cypriots needing to request water from the Turkish-occupied areas in the coming years. The article highlights that reservoirs in Cyprus, which have a total capacity of 290 million cubic meters, currently hold only 98.7 million cubic meters of water.
The situation is dire in Paphos, where the water supply is insufficient to meet demands, leading to fears of a crisis. Cities like Limassol and Larnaca, with populations over 100,000, face similar issues. Frequent power outages have prompted authorities to advise the public to conserve water.
Efforts by the government to desalinate seawater and increase desalination facilities have not fully resolved the issue. Farmers have been particularly vocal against the reduction of primary agricultural irrigation during droughts, accusing the government of prioritizing tourism over agriculture.
Although there are occasional water shortages in the Turkish-occupied areas due to water from Turkey being transported via a submarine pipeline, drinking water remains unaffected. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) continues to expand its water infrastructure, with Turkey's support, which began in 2015, alleviating past water shortages that were more severe a decade ago.
The article also recalls the severe drought of 2008, when Cyprus attempted to import water from Greece using tankers. This solution was temporary and costly, leading to a payment of 7 million euros to the shipping company Oceans Tankers for not meeting certain conditions. The cost of transporting water by tankers was about 50 million euros 16 years ago.
Currently, the discussion on the benefits of water imported from Turkey via the occupied areas is limited. If Cyprus receives adequate rainfall this fall, the need to request water from Turkey might be postponed until next summer. However, in the event of continued drought, Greek Cypriots may revisit the issue as a last resort.
[Information sourced from Independent]
