Filenews 8 February 2026 - by Angelos Nikolaou
A dramatic picture for the water future of the country is revealed by the latest decisions of the Council of Ministers, which essentially declare Cyprus in a state of emergency. With the reserves in the dams at a marginal 13% and the inflows being virtually zero despite any rainfall, the government is activating the 6th package of measures, amounting to €168 million, to avoid cuts in water supply.
At the same time, by decision of the Council of Ministers, the country is proceeding with a horizontal reduction of the water supply by 10%, while the agricultural world is being hit the hardest with cuts of up to 33%. And all this while drinking water consumption has been steadily increasing by 5% per year in recent years, despite water scarcity.
The data of the Department of Water Development (WDD) are extremely worrying. Cyprus is in its fourth consecutive year of drought. From October 1 until today, the inflow to the dams amounted to only 16 ECU, i.e. 5.5% of their capacity.
At the level of hydrological data, the hydrological year 2024-2025 records rainfall at about 65% of the average annual value, one of the eight driest years since 1902. The reduced inputs to the dams and the significant burden on surface and groundwater bodies are objective constraints that no policy can completely eliminate.
Based on current data, 2026 is predicted to be a year of high water risk, with limited starting reserves and increased pressure on the water supply system, if no substantial inflows are recorded. The planning of the Water Development Department (WDD) is implemented on the basis of the Drought Management Plan, with continuous evaluation of quantitative and qualitative data.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment warns that if immediate action is not taken, the reserves of the Single Southern Pipeline Plan (ESNA) will be depleted before next August, making water cuts in homes inevitable for 2026 and subsequent years.
Taking into account the severity of the water situation and in order to mitigate the effects of the drought and the time delay or even avoid the depletion of the dams and the prevention of water supply cuts, based on the current conditions, it is necessary to take measures on three main axes:
(a) The implementation of additional projects to increase the quantities of water
(b) The implementation of demand reduction measures
(c) The implementation of actions to reduce losses in the water supply networks
The aim of the implementation of the measures is to ensure that the water supply needs are met in 100% of the areas served by the Unified Southern Pipeline (ESNA) system, as well as to make available the largest possible quantities of water for irrigation purposes, in the areas served by the Government Systems. Priority in irrigation will be given to professional irrigators of permanent plantations and greenhouses.
In order to avoid chaotic water outages in the summer, the Ministry of Agriculture proposes strict planning:
>>>Concession of 103 ECM for 2026 (from 114 ECM in 2025) for water supply. The 10% reduction is considered precautionary and the Ministry estimates that with proper savings, the daily lives of citizens will not be affected.
>>>In irrigation, the supply is limited to 22 ECM (from 33 ECM in 2025), a 33% reduction that directly threatens production.
The government leaves a small possibility of revising the measures after April, but only if there is extremely heavy rainfall in the next quarter that will exceed 32 ECM of inflow into the Southern Pipeline. With the current data, however, this scenario seems remote.
"The reduction of the supply is necessary to ensure uninterrupted water supply throughout the year," the proposal states, calling on citizens and EDAs to work closely together to avoid waste.
The decision did not pass without tremors. Agricultural organizations voted against the proposal in the Advisory Committee, arguing that the burden falls disproportionately on professionals in the sector. They demand greater cuts in urban centers and immediate financial compensation for the loss of income that the lack of water in their fields will bring.
The Government's strategy focuses on the immediate increase in water production, as previous efforts for private investment and negotiations have been barren. The whole plan includes storage, water supply, irrigation, desalination and infrastructure upgrade projects throughout the country.
New desalination plants
The five major emergency projects that are currently being worked on at the WDD are the construction of a floating desalination plant in Germasogeia with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters of water per day and an estimated cost of €60 million.
A new mobile unit with a capacity of 40,000 cubic meters/day is planned in the territory of Mazotos, costing €64 million. The expansion of the EAC mobile unit in Vasilikos from 10,000 to 20,000 cubic meters / day is also planned at a cost of €32 million.
It has also been decided to expand the mobile units of Episkopi and Ayia Napa from 10,000 to 15,000 cubic meters at a cost of €25 million each with a contract duration of 7 years.
Upon completion of these, the total desalination capacity of Cyprus will increase by 66%, creating a protection shield for the water supply.
It is emphasized that with the completion of the projects, nine mobile desalination units with a total daily capacity of 157,000 cubic meters will have been added, in combination with the projects already being implemented, so that cumulatively with the daily capacity of the permanent units, which amounts to 235,000 cubic meters, they will increase the total capacity by 66%, ensuring security in the water supply. With the completion of at least two new permanent desalination plants in 2029, as well as the expansion of the existing permanent desalination plants through the ongoing negotiation procedures, the total water supply needs throughout Cyprus will be covered.
It is also noted that the possibility of utilizing the mobile units on a permanent basis or the need to expand their capacity will be examined at a later stage in the context of the preparation of a feasibility study of desalination projects that will serve the Districts of Paphos, Limassol, Larnaca – Nicosia and Famagusta respectively. In the evaluation, they will take into account the problems that have been created during the current water crisis as a result of the removal of the mobile desalination plants that were installed in the period 2008-2009 but were removed later (2012-2013).
Despite information campaigns, water demand is increasing by 5% per year. The Government, recognizing the failure of the exhortations, goes on the counterattack with more targeted measures. Specifically, €6 million will be allocated for the supply of special water-saving components in homes and premises. As far as the public sector is concerned, the immediate installation of equipment in camps, schools and government buildings will proceed. At the same time, it has been decided to set up a committee to reduce consumption in hotels by 10%, with incentives for private desalination.
Battle with leaks and EOAs
A significant part of the problem is found in outdated networks. The Cabinet approved an additional grant of €1.5 million to the five Provincial Local Government Organizations (EOAs), with the mandate to create emergency response teams that will repair damage in less than 12 hours.
Additional state sponsorship to the Provincial Local Government Organizations (NGOs)
Following the relevant decision of the Council of Ministers YS 26/3/2025, the allocation of credits to the five EOAs amounting to €10.5 million has been approved. through the THALIA Program 2021-2027. However, although the grant would be given for mature projects with implementation within 2026, it appears that the completion horizon of these projects extends until mid-2027, with the result that there will be no direct benefit in reducing the demand for water supply that will contribute to the effort to cover the deficits of 2026.
To this end, the WDD asked the EOAs to submit relevant documented proposals for the implementation of immediate actions within a period of 3-6 months (e.g. replacement of obsolete supplies in homes, immediate transition crews to the points of failure no later than 12 hours, fault detection services and utilization of technology, etc.), in order to reduce losses in areas that are supplied with water by Government Water Supply Systems and have high loss rates. The total amount for 2026 amounts to €1.5 million.
