Filenews 2 October 2025 - by Angelos Nikolaou
Serious deficiencies in the management of dam safety in Cyprus continue to be observed according to a Special Report of the Audit Office, although some improvement steps have been taken compared to the 2016 Report. The majority of the country's dams are of old construction, with the 10 largest having exceeded 35 years of operation and several approaching or have already exceeded their useful life.
At the center of the meeting of the Parliamentary Audit Committee, the Special Report of the Audit Office "Management of Water Resources in Cyprus: Monitoring of developments of the previous Special Report of October 2016" will be placed today.
The session will continue with the examination of the cost of maintaining the dams throughout Cyprus, as it had already been put before the Committee at its previous meeting, on September 18, 2025.
Today's session is expected to highlight the responsibilities, gaps and immediate needs, both in terms of political will and funding, to ensure the security of critical water infrastructure in the country.
The new Special Report of the Audit Office emphasizes the long-standing problems related to the safety of dams in Cyprus, recording significant gaps in the design, maintenance, supervision and compliance with the relevant regulations.
Although steps have been taken in the right direction in recent years, such as the implementation of an integrated safety system by the Water Development Department (WDD) and the submission of an annual report on large reservoirs, serious shortcomings remain:
● Independent inspections of large dams have not yet been carried out, although they have been provided for by law for 10 years.
● No final safety certificates have been issued for any private dam, while the WDD does not have a complete picture of the dams covered by a final certificate.
● Many dams operate without operation and maintenance manuals, and even where they exist, they do not seem to be implemented in practice.
● Electromechanical equipment in several dams remains unmaintained, with valves and dam ports that have not been checked or activated for years.
● Some dams, such as Kouris, do not yet have bedwetting maps, despite recommendations from 2016.
● Despite the long-standing requests, some large reservoirs (such as Arminou, Kannaviou and Evretou) do not yet have an appointed supervising engineer, as required by the relevant legislation.
Mavrokolympos Dam: Recent failure brings the need for vigilance back to the fore
A typical example of the risks is the incident recorded in January 2025 at the Mavrokolympos dam, when a leak occurred due to a failure in the ventilation duct of the discharge tunnel. The failure, which was detected in an inaccessible location while the dam was in full operation, led to a complete evacuation of the reservoir to repair the fault. To date, no official data has been provided by the WDD on the extent of the damage and the loss of water.
A perennial problem is the lack of know-how and human resources
The retirement of experienced engineers without immediate replacement has led to gaps in know-how in the WDD, making it difficult to continuously supervise and maintain the dams. Although presentations have been organized and there is participation in international conferences, the transfer of experience to younger staff remains a challenge.
The report highlights the need to immediately strengthen the WDD with specialized staff and the support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (GAAP) for the implementation of actions provided for by the institutional framework.
Risks of failures that are not detected in time
The Audit Office emphasizes that there is no systematic preventive maintenance of the dams, while several monitoring instruments are out of order or abandoned, which makes it difficult to identify problems in time.
According to the report, factors such as water level variation, seismic activity, and long periods of drought negatively impact the behavior of dams, making systematic monitoring imperative.
Recommendations of the Audit Office that have been pending for nine years
The Audit Office reinstates critical recommendations that have been pending since 2016, including:
● The preparation of bedwetting maps for all major dams, not just the three high-risk ones.
● The issuance of final certificates for all reservoirs, public and private.
● To carry out independent inspections in all major dams.
● The preparation and implementation of operation and maintenance manuals.
● The completion of supervising engineer appointments for all dams.
Dams: Increased costs, inadequate maintenance and challenges for WDD
During the meeting of the Audit Committee on September 18, 2025, the issue of the cost of maintaining dams nationwide was examined.
According to data from the Water Development Department (WDD), there are about 100 reservoirs in Cyprus that meet the criteria of the legislation, of which 25 are large dams. The fact that most of them have already exceeded half of their useful life, intensifies the need to strengthen maintenance and restoration actions.
The WDD has drawn up a short- and long-term programme for studies and projects, with the aim of meeting the growing needs. The implementation of the actions is carried out: a) Through studies by the WDD itself or external experts, b) By work by WDD staff (mainly craftsmen), c) By assigning projects to the private sector.
Indicative costs and studies
The implementation of the actions includes studies and projects for the restoration or strengthening of dams. Indicative:
Xyliatos Dam: Study €15,000 – Construction works estimate €200,000
Polemidia Dam: Waterproofing €12,000 – Estimated cost €350,000, Evacuation €32,000 – Estimated cost €250,000
Mavrokolympos Dam: Study €26,000 – Works estimate €200,000
Lefkara Dam: Evaluation of electromechanical equipment €20,000
It is noted that the cost increases when the works are implemented by external partners, which is considered necessary due to the understaffing and the technical complexity of several interventions.
