Filenews 16 February 2026 - by Angelos Nikolaou
The Department of Water Development (WDD) considers it extremely urgent and important to implement actions to manage demand and reduce water consumption which are expected to bring immediate results, in addition to actions to strengthen the water balance, with additional infrastructure projects, which de facto take a few months to implement.
Small steps can be taken towards reducing the use by 10% by each household. In some areas, water consumption exceeds 500 liters per person per day, a percentage that is particularly high and cannot be justified, considering that in other European countries the average consumption is 120 liters.
According to WDD calculations, if a 10% reduction in water demand is achieved compared to 2025 consumption, then the water supply problem will become manageable. Explaining, the director of the WDD, Iliana Tofa, told "F" that the 10% reduction in consumption corresponds to 10 million cubic meters of water, i.e. the annual production of a desalination plant of 30,000 cubic meters of water. It is easier for someone to understand the difficult year we are going through if we consider that in the current hydrological year the water inflows to the Kouris dam are only 3.5 million with an occupancy rate of 12.5%, compared to 21.6% last year.
Therefore, the euphoria given by the rainfall and snow in Troodos, even in the last few days, is not sufficient on its own for water inflows into the dams, which remain at alarming low levels. Today, water supplies reach 14% of their occupancy compared to 26% last year, while we are in the fourth consecutive year of reduced rainfall and prolonged drought conditions.
For her part, the Minister of Agriculture, Maria Panagiotou, spoke of overconsumption. Today, she said, there are citizens who consume quantities that far exceed the average and reach up to 500 or even 700 liters per day per person. She added that if the citizens consume 120 liters then all the required time will be given for the implementation of the projects planned by the government without emptying the dams. She stressed that a 10% reduction in water supply will not reduce our quality of life. "Use is one thing and abuse is another." Andreas Grigoriou, director general of the General Directorate of Agriculture, described the situation as tragic. "We do everything as a government. There is nothing we could have done and we didn't do," he noted.
They are running to build seven desalination plants in 2026
At the end of 2026, the government, with the planned WDD projects in progress, is expected to resolve the water problem for water supply purposes.
It is emphasized that with the completion of the new desalination projects proposed, nine projects of mobile desalination units with a total daily capacity of 157,000 cubic meters will have been added, in combination with the projects that have either been implemented or are being implemented, so that cumulatively with the daily capacity of the five existing permanent units, which amounts to 240,000 cubic meters, they will increase the total capacity by 66%, ensuring security of 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.
Therefore, an additional seven mobile desalination plants are expected to be operational by the end of 2026, out of the seven currently in operation (five permanent and two mobile).
Cyprus currently has five desalination plants with a total capacity of 235,000 cubic meters daily. Dhekelia, Vasilikos and Larnaca from 60,000cu.m., Episkopi 40,000 cu.m. and Paphos 15,000 cu.m. (20,000 cubic meters from March).
The construction of two small units (Moni 15,000 cubic meters and Kissonerga 12,000 cubic meters) has been completed at the end of 2025 and in March two more units are expected to be delivered Garyllis and Limassol Port of 10,000 cubic meters each), all four with a total capacity of 47,000 cubic meters per day. The total daily capacity of 47,000 cubic meters additionally contributing about 15.5 million cubic meters of water per year.
The total capacity of the permanent desalination plants (Paphos, Episkopi, Vasiliko, Larnaca and Dhekelia) and the mobile desalination units of Kissonerga and Moni, together with the operation of Garyllis and Limassol Port in March, will amount to 282,000 cubic meters of water per day, i.e. more than 92.5 million cubic meters of water per year.
In the medium term, the expansion of the existing units, the construction of additional mobile units and in the long term the construction of two new units are planned so that the total capacity on the island reaches 400,000 cubic meters.
Specifically, three new mobile desalination units with a capacity of 15,000 cubic meters/day are planned. for Episkopi and Ayia Napa and 20,000 cubic meters/day. EAC in Vasiliko. The goal is for the units to be completed by October 2026.
Three mobile desalination plants were dismantled
At the same time, they are currently running two more desalination plants to be completed by December 2026. The first mobile for the installation of 40,000 cubic meters in Mazotos and the second concerns the installation of a floating desalination plant in Germasogeia with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters/day.
For the Mazotos unit, the WDD is initially proceeding with the implementation of a project with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters. and production will gradually increase to reach 40,000 cubic meters. It proceeds with a negotiation process with the economic operators that have shown interest through the public consultation process.
As far as the floating unit is concerned, it will be installed in the area of Germasogeia, where in 2008 an underwater pipeline was installed for the transport of water by ships from Greece. In this case, too, the WDD will proceed with a negotiation process.
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 three mobile units (Moni, Paphos and Garylli) that were installed in the period 2008-2009 but were removed after the end of their contract (2012-2013). The viability studies are in the tender stage and will be completed within 2026, utilizing the results of the Water Policy Review Study which is under preparation and will be completed in June 2026.
TABLE
AREA CAPACITY cum/day
PERMANENT UNITS (existing)
Larnaca 60,000
EAC Vassiliko 60,000
Dhekelia 60,000
Episkopi 40,000
Paphos 20,000 (from March, 15,000 today)
TOTAL 240,000
MOBILE UNITS (existing)
Moni 15,000
Kissonerga 12,000
MOBILE UNITS (March 2026)
Garylli 10,000
Limassol Port 10,000
TOTAL 47,000
MOBILE UNITS (October 2026)
Episkopi 15,000
Ayia Napa 15,000
EAC Vassiliko 20,000
TOTAL 50,000
NEW UNITS (December 2026)
Mazotos 40.000
Germasogeia (floating) 20,000
TOTAL 60,000
TOTAL ALL UNTIL THE END OF 2026 397,000
