Nicosia, Cyprus. Water inflows into Cyprus’ reservoirs have improved compared to last year, and forecast rainfall later this week is expected to further boost reserves, a senior official said on Monday.
Rising inflows and updated outlook
First technical engineer at the water development department, Marios Hadjicostis, said the improved outlook means water supply conditions may be less severe than initially feared.
“It seems we will not struggle as much to get through the year as earlier projections suggested,” he said, adding that better water distribution for both drinking and irrigation purposes may now be possible.
Recent increases and near-term expectations
Inflows over the past three days reached two million cubic metres, up from previous daily levels of around 200,000 cubic metres.
Hadjicostis said flows rose significantly over the weekend and are expected to remain high in the coming days.
“I expect increased inflow today and tomorrow as well. By tomorrow morning, inflow could reach around 1.5 million cubic metres,” he said, adding that rainfall forecast from Thursday onwards is likely to push daily inflows above one million cubic metres for several days.
Probability of surpassing last year’s levels
Based on current data, Hadjicostis said there is a 99 per cent probability that water reserves will surpass last year’s low levels.
“This was our initial target and it seemed very difficult at first,” he said, noting that inflows during October to December were the lowest of the decade.
Current reservoir levels and projected gap closure
Current reservoir levels stand at 21.8 per cent, or 63.3 million cubic metres, compared with 25.1 per cent, or 72.9 million cubic metres, at the same time last year.
However, the nine-million-cubic-metre gap is expected to be covered within a week if rainfall continues as forecast.
How do you expect the improved reservoir inflows to affect water supply and irrigation in your area this year?
