Nicosia, Cyprus. Dams across Cyprus are currently 21 per cent full, the Water Development Department said on Monday, reiterating that reserves remain low despite recent rainfall.
Current storage levels
Senior WDD technical engineer Marios Hadjicostis said the island’s reservoirs currently hold 61.15 million cubic metres of water, compared with 73.8 million cubic metres, or 25.4 per cent capacity, at the same time last year.
Inflows slow as rainfall decreases
Inflows into dams have slowed in recent days due to the lack of rainfall in early March.
Importance of where rain falls
Hadjicostis said replenishing water reserves depends not only on the amount of rainfall but also on where it occurs. “Rainfall is not just a number. It must fall in targeted areas,” he said.
He said precipitation on the southwestern side of the Troodos mountains is particularly important, as runoff from that region feeds several of the island’s largest reservoirs.
Focus on late March rainfall
Despite relatively strong rainfall in February, Hadjicostis said water reserves remain at low levels. “We are now relying on the last fortnight of March. We want rain on the southwestern side of Troodos so that the water can reach the large dams,” he added.
Recent runoff increase
Recent rainfall has boosted runoff slightly, with around 3.3 million cubic metres flowing into reservoirs over several days, raising storage levels modestly.
What measures do you think Cyprus should prioritise to manage low water reserves?
