The occupancy of the dams is currently at 42.4%, double what it was last year, said Marios Hatzikostis, Chief Technical Engineer at the Water Development Department (WDD), while he stated that from 2023 to 2025 the flow to the dams amounted to a total of 92 million cubic meters of water, while this year the flow reaches 112 million cubic meters of water.
"Compared to last year's picture we are much better. Occupancy is at 42.4%, while last year on this day it was 21.2%, which is exactly double the rate compared to last year," he said, adding that "we have 123.4 million cubic meters of water stored in our dams, while last year in the same period we had 61.5 million cubic meters."
Mr. Hadjikostis noted that the Kourris dam, which is also the largest in Cyprus, has the largest amount of water, which amounts to 48 million cubic meters or 41.8%.
There are, as he said, some small dams that are still overflowing. Specifically, "at the moment, the Pomos dam and the dams of Tamassos and Klirou remain at a marginal overflow", he noted, adding that "their overflow may marginally stop on Monday". He also said that the Kalopanayiotis dam overflows a little more than the other small dams, noting that it will continue to overflow for at least another 2-3 weeks.
"Our spring was a good year," said Mr. Hatzikostis, explaining that the shift of rains from winter to spring brought the overflow of dams in June, which is a rare phenomenon. "It is not often that we have a greater influx in the spring months than in the winter months," he added.
"Fortunately, at least in the last few months, the rainy season with the increased inflows to the dams came, otherwise we would have a serious problem," he said.
Mr. Hatzikostis reminded that at the beginning of January the situation at the dams was tragic due to the very low flows, adding that at that time a decision was made to reduce the supply of water. However, he noted that the subsequent increased amounts of water in the dams led to the revision of this decision, clarifying that the WDD still appeals to consumers to save water.
"As the dams were filled this year, they will easily be empty again if it does not rain next year," he said, adding that "it is a common phenomenon to have three consecutive bad years, as the previous three were." From 2023 to 2025, the flow to the dams amounted to a total of 92 million cubic meters of water, while this year the flow amounts to 112 million cubic meters of water.
In conclusion, he noted that new desalination plants are being promoted to avoid the worst-case scenario, which is the prolonged period of drought, and to meet the needs of the water supply.
CNA
