Paphos dam reserves surge as water shortage risk fades

Local PaphosTop Newswater Paphos dam reserves surge as water shortage risk fades Fragmataaa Relevant News Paphos dam reserves surge as water shortage risk fades 9 September 2026 Cyprus twin murder plot followed ‘violence-as-a-service’ model, Swedish police say 9 September 2026 Egypt to join Cyprus independence parade for first time 9 September 2026 newsroom 9 September 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Water reserves in Paphos’s dams have climbed sharply compared with last year, with total stocks in the district’s main dams now standing at around 43.3 million cubic metres (mcm), according to Alexios Frangeskou, Executive Engineer at the Water Development Department (WDD). Figures dated September 7 show the Paphos Irrigation Project dams, comprising Asprokremmos, Kannaviou and Mavrokolympos, holding about 30.9 mcm of water, or 39.2 per cent of capacity, up from just 9.4 mcm at the same point last year. The Chrysochou Irrigation Project dams, comprising Evretou, Argaka, Pomos and Agia Marina, held around 12.4 mcm, or 42.5 per cent of capacity, compared with 3.8 mcm in 2025. Frangeskou attributed the improvement to increased inflows during the 2025-2026 hydrological year. He cautioned there was no room for complacency, as the WDD manages reserves with a planning horizon of more than one year. He said he did not expect the need for additional restrictions on farmers in 2026, with the water needs of permanent plantations and greenhouses largely met and extra quantities made available for seasonal crops grown by professional farmers. Beneficial spring rains, along with isolated summer showers, played a decisive role in limiting irrigation demand this year, Frangeskou said. The use of overflow water also played an important role. In areas where the Argaka, Pomos and Agia Marina dams overflowed, farmers received additional overflow quantities that were not counted against their annual approved allocations, boosting agricultural production, he said. Looking further ahead, Frangeskou said drought could no longer be treated as an exceptional or rare event. More frequent dry periods, greater rainfall variability and higher temperatures now represent a new reality for Cyprus and the wider Eastern Mediterranean. As a result, he explained, water management cannot rely on the expectation of a good hydrological year following every dry spell; planning instead needs to account for the possibility of repeated and prolonged drought periods. When dry periods repeat or last more than a year, the water system comes under greater pressure, as reserves do not have time to replenish sufficiently between hydrological years. Management therefore cannot be limited to the needs of a single year. The WDD applies multi-year planning, strengthens non-conventional water sources such as desalination and reclaimed water reuse, and promotes the prudent use of available reserves, Frangeskou said. Reduced rainfall directly affects dam inflows and, in turn, the water available for supply and irrigation. Water is allocated with water supply as the top priority, followed by irrigation needs. That balance is increasingly maintained through non-conventional sources, which Frangeskou said now play a decisive role in the WDD’s strategy. Desalination and reclaimed water reuse have become key pillars of Cyprus’s water security, he said, reducing dependence on rainfall and dam reserves. In Paphos, about half of the 20 mcm of water available annually for water supply now comes from desalination units. Reclaimed water has also made a growing contribution to agriculture: around five mcm was allocated for agricultural use in 2026, water that would otherwise have had to be drawn from the dams, Frangeskou said. Asked whether the district was close to a point where dam reserves alone would not meet demand, Frangeskou said water sufficiency could not be judged on the basis of dam reserves alone. He said the two sources are now integral to the WDD’s strategy for limiting the impact of drought. Paphos’s water supply now rests on a combination of dams, desalination and reclaimed water, making the system more resilient than in the past. Based on current data, he said, there is no apparent risk of water shortage, as the WDD plans several years ahead rather than for the next hydrological period alone. However, increased water-supply consumption recorded in 2026, along with the prolonged drought and the effects of climate change, make rational water use necessary, he said, along with the continued strengthening of non-conventional sources to secure the province’s water supply in the years ahead. (Cyprus News Agency) Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Cyprus twin murder plot followed ‘violence-as-a-service’ model, Swedish police say Egypt to join Cyprus independence parade for first time On this day: Queen Elizabeth becomes the longest reigning monarch of the UK in 2015 British airport chaos disrupts flights to and from Cyprus (photos+videos) Police accused of colluding with criminals; Fytiris vows clean-up Tourism boom threatens to erase occupied Akanthou, refugee warns Nicosia Municipality sues over nuisance at former Othello cinema Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.