Cabinet throws farmers a lifeline with 3.5 million cubic metres of extra irrigation water

Local agriculturedroughtfarmersTop Newswater Cabinet throws farmers a lifeline with 3.5 million cubic metres of extra irrigation water Cabinet Throws Farmers A Lifeline With 3.5 Million Cubic Metres Of Extra Irrigation Water Relevant News ‘It will be a great environmental disaster’: Mazotos residents fight to save coastline as desalination plant gets green light 10 June 2026 GHS patients paying €20-plus drug co-payments for fifth month with no quick fix in sight 10 June 2026 Cabinet throws farmers a lifeline with 3.5 million cubic metres of extra irrigation water 10 June 2026 Angelos Nicolaou 10 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The Cabinet yesterday approved a revised water allocation for 2026, granting farmers an additional 3.5 million cubic metres of irrigation water and adopting a three-year planning framework for the first time. But the plan rests on desalination infrastructure that is running into serious delays. The revised allocation gives 2 million cubic metres to the Paphos Great Irrigation Project and 1.5 million cubic metres to the Southern Conveyance Unified Scheme (ESNA). Both quantities are reserved exclusively for professional farmers, with priority given to permanent crops and subject to the constraints of the water balance. The Paphos allocation is additionally conditional on specific commitments by the Paphos District Local Government Organisation (DLGO) to curb drinking water demand and reduce network losses. Under the revised figures, total water allocations for 2026 stand at 121.7 million cubic metres for drinking water supply and 41.2 million cubic metres for irrigation — of which 18.8 million cubic metres come from dams and boreholes and 22.4 million cubic metres from recycled water. Desalination delays The allocation was drawn up against a worst-case weather scenario to avoid abrupt supply cuts in future, but two desalination units central to the plan are running into serious delays. The mobile desalination unit at Mazotos, with a daily capacity of 40,000 cubic metres and originally scheduled to come online in January 2027, has been delayed indefinitely after the Mazotos community council launched a legal challenge now before the courts — creating a real risk to the water balance. The floating desalination unit at Germasogeia, with a capacity of 20,000 cubic metres per day and the same January 2027 target, has also fallen out of the current plan after negotiations broke down, forcing the government to launch a new open tender. To fill the gap, the Agriculture Ministry will keep the mobile desalination unit at Moni — capacity 15,000 cubic metres per day — running until 2029. The Cabinet also stressed the urgent need for all parties to resolve the problems at Mazotos. Minister’s framework Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou said water management does not mean a return to normality but adaptation to a precarious reality. The ministry’s action framework includes reducing losses in drinking water networks through funding to DLGOs, maximising the use of recycled water for irrigation, and island-wide free distribution of flow-restricting nozzles to households and businesses. Background The Cabinet had originally approved 2026 water allocations in January, setting totals of 103.4 million cubic metres for drinking water and 22.2 million cubic metres for irrigation, based on a recommendation by the Water Management Advisory Committee (WMAC). Rainfall between January and April partially improved the picture, bringing total dam reserves to 111.2 million cubic metres — 38.2% of capacity — as of April 22, 2026. Historical patterns show strong cyclical variation in inflows, making it necessary to maintain safety reserves of at least 35% capacity across individual dams. With some dam levels falling below that threshold as of April 22, any further reduction would significantly raise the risk of water shortages in 2027 and 2028. WMAC met again on April 24 and, by majority, adopted Water Development Department (WDD) recommendations for a revised allocation scenario. Agricultural organisations dissented, arguing the proposed irrigation quantities remained too low. Continued rainfall through to the end of May, combined with sustained pressure from farming organisations, led the Agriculture Ministry to ask the WDD to review the scenario again — producing the revised allocation the Cabinet approved yesterday. Read more: Larnaca targets 26-litre daily water saving per person in new summer campaign Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News ‘It will be a great environmental disaster’: Mazotos residents fight to save coastline as desalination plant gets green light GHS patients paying €20-plus drug co-payments for fifth month with no quick fix in sight Things to do on Wednesday, June 10 Mainly sunny with afternoon storms in the mountains through the weekend Iran hits Fifth Fleet in Bahrain as US restarts attacks Cyprus must do more for isolated elderly, welfare body says after woman found dead in flat Freedom of expression cannot become cover for defamation and misinformation, says Costas Cleanthous Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.