DANGEROUS OVERTURNING OF THE AYIA NAPA DESALINATION PLANT WITH A CHANGE OF LOCATION - RISK OF WATER SHORTAGE IS NOW VISIBLE - DELAY OF AT LEAST ONE YEAR - Filenews 28/2 - by Angelos Nikolaou
The desalination project is turning into a race against time, which the free area of Famagusta is in danger of losing, after the latest decisions taken yesterday to cancel the zoning in the forest area of Ayia Napa. The reactions of local bodies and hoteliers in the area seem to freeze the signatures with the contractor, postponing the solution of the water problem to 2027.
According to information from "F", at a meeting held yesterday at the Search and Rescue Coordination Center (KSED Larnaca) in the presence of the mayors of Ayia Napa, as well as the hoteliers and institutions of the province of Famagusta, it was decided to relocate the desalination unit. The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, in the presence of the two general directors.
At the meeting, it was decided to build the desalination plant within 18 months due to relocation within the Natura 2000 network area, specifically on the beach of Agia Thekla, instead of within the next eight months in the original location that had been decided outside the protected area of the Natura 2000 network. It was decided that all those who attended yesterday's meeting should sign the minutes and make a relevant commitment.
Specifically, it was decided that the local authorities of Ayia Napa and the hoteliers of the area will take responsibility through their signature that for any delay that will put the province in a state of water scarcity in 2027, it is not the state but themselves that is responsible. In the same minutes, the responsibility of the state will be mentioned, as in case of water scarcity, it will do everything possible to continue the uninterrupted water supply of the area. The minutes will be signed, among others, by the Mayor of Ayia Napa and the five deputy mayors (Ayia Napa, Liopetriou, Achnas, Sotiras, Avgorou).
The initial intention of the Government was for the unit to operate immediately in the area of Nissi Beach, on a piece of state forest land where acacia trees grow and in the past there was a camping area and is located outside the Natura 2000 network. If the Water Development Department (WDD) were to proceed with the signing of the contract that ran in December 2025, Cyprus would secure significant quantities of water by October 2026. The tender provided for the construction of a unit with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters/day with the prospect of reaching 20,000 cubic meters.
However, the decision to cancel this location overturns everything. The proposal to transfer the unit to a new location next to the Ayia Napa Marina and the Church of Agia Thekla, near a declared ancient monument and within a protected area of the Natura 2000 network, practically means that the process starts from scratch. According to what was mentioned at the meeting, the removal of rocks around 70 meters long and 2.5 meters wide up to the pumping station for the installation of the suction and discharge pipes is expected to proceed. As mentioned, the removal of the rock will be done with a special machine that carries a blade.
It is noted that due to the fact that there is no required infrastructure installed nearby for the receipt of the produced water and distribution to consumers, a pipeline will be installed from the point of the proposed desalination plant to the nearest connection point with the proposed pipeline of Kokkinokremmo.
According to information, because the new location falls within a protected area of the Natura 2000 network, it is necessary to prepare and examine a Special Ecological Assessment Study, in addition to the relevant Information Report or Environmental Impact Assessment Study.
These time-consuming procedures, combined with the potential for significant and negative impacts on the conservation objectives and the integrity of a protected area of the Natura 2000 network, while there was an alternative siting option, means that, in the best case, desalination will be ready in October 2027. During this period, the province of Famagusta will remain vulnerable to water scarcity, with all that this entails mainly during the peak tourist summer season.
The capacity of the new unit is up to 30,000 cubic meters of water
It is noted that the decision for the construction of a mobile desalination plant in Ayia Napa was taken by the Council of Ministers on 29/10/2025. The decision was approved for the construction of a desalination plant with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters. for a period of five years after the views of the involved Departments/Services have been secured.
On 22/1/2026, a new decision of the Council of Ministers approved the expansion of the unit to 15,000 cubic meters of water per day with a contract duration of seven years.
The notice was published on 2/12/2025, the opening of the tenders took place on 13/1/2026 and the objection period ended on 17/2/2026.
As far as the new desalination plant is concerned, it is expected to have a capacity of up to 30,000 cubic meters of water per day and will be permanent instead of mobile. It is emphasized that businessmen operating in Ayia Napa proposed the area of Ayia Thekla, near the Ayia Napa Marina, as more suitable after it was found that the two proposed areas of the Provincial Self-Government Organization of Famagusta, as alternatives to the location in the Nissi Beach area, were not accepted by those affected.
It is recalled that on 2/2/2026, the president of EOA Famagusta, Giannis Karousos, in a letter to the Minister of Agriculture, disagreed with the proposed location on forest land in Ayia Napa in the area of the former camping site, known as the forest with acacias.
Hoteliers in the area also disagreed with this location, expressing fears of environmental degradation of the top beaches of Nissi Beach and Makronissos. In fact, the hoteliers claimed that the project in question was promoted without an Environmental Impact Assessment Study (EIA) and without taking into account European regulations for public information.
