Filenews 23 June 2025 - by Angelos Nicolaou
While Cyprus is being tested by another extremely difficult year of drought — the third in a row and possibly one of the worst in the last decade — serious weaknesses in water management are coming to light. At a time when the conservation of water resources has been made a top priority for state services and local government, it is revealed that in Paphos, a significant number of green spaces are irrigated not by the irrigation network, but by drinking water.
This fact raises legitimate concerns and is characterized by officials as scandalous, at a time when the state is attempting to limit any unnecessary consumption. According to documents available to the newspaper, the Water Development Department (TAY) has already made representations to the Paphos District Government Organization (EOA), in order to tackle waste and seek more sustainable irrigation solutions.
The problem is made more intense by the fact that many green spaces of the Municipality of Paphos are not covered by the government irrigation network, as there is no appropriate infrastructure. As a result, the Municipality is forced to use either tankers or water from licensed boreholes – when these are sufficient. However, in several cases it resorts to the unauthorized use of drinking water from the water supply network.
The use of drinking water for irrigation is a serious contradiction with savings policies, especially at a time when Paphos and Limassol are expected to experience the consequences of the drought first. The situation became even more dramatic after the devastating fire at the Paphos desalination plant, which removed an important alternative supply of drinking water from the network.
On the other hand, the effort of the Paphos District Office of the TAY to create a network of recycled water from the Achelia Biological Station for the irrigation of public and private green spaces is positively evaluated. The project includes the construction of a three-kilometer pipeline and the extension of the existing network to Germanina, Thea Aphrodite and Spyros Kyprianou avenues.
The first phase of the project is expected to be operational on June 26, covering the coastal area of Geroskipou, with the prospect of expansion to the city of Paphos. The Municipality has already asked for the project to be expanded, but according to the District Engineer of the TAY, this is not immediately possible due to schedules and technical limitations.
In a last-ditch effort to find a solution, the Municipality of Paphos proposed a water exchange, i.e. the concession of water from its own boreholes to the government network in exchange for access to water intake points of the large Paphos irrigation project (MAEP).
This proposal was rejected by the TAY as technically unworkable, while legality issues are also raised, as no such exchange is provided for by the relevant legislation.
From March to May, successive meetings and telephone contacts were held between the Municipality of Paphos, the TAY and the EDA. Despite efforts for immediate solutions, the Municipality still lacks adequate access to irrigation water, while temperatures are rising and needs are increasing.
The situation revealed in Paphos acts as a wake-up call for the whole of Cyprus. On an island like Cyprus, with historical water management problems, the need to redesign infrastructure, expand the use of recycled water and strictly control consumption is more urgent than ever.
