Kouris reservoir receives 118,000 cubic metres of water in 24 hours
Cyprus reservoirs received about 140,000 cubic metres of water in 24 hours, but the Water Development Department said water planning measures remain unchanged.
Nicosia, Cyprus. Reservoirs received around 140,000 cubic metres of water in 24 hours, including about 118,000 cubic metres at Kouris reservoir, the Water Development Department said on Wednesday. The department said the recent rainfall would benefit irrigation but would not alter water planning.
Reservoir levels
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Water Development Department executive engineer Alexios Frangeskos said reservoir storage stood at 120 million cubic metres, or 40 per cent of total capacity.
He said the inflows remained below the record-high levels recorded in 2019 and did not affect the overall water supply picture.
Irrigation impact
Frangeskos said some farms that require watering two or three times a week may have saved one or two irrigations, reducing their annual water needs.
However, he said the department remained cautious and would not revise its water planning following the rainfall.
Water supply planning
The department estimates that cities across Cyprus require approximately 300,000 to 350,000 cubic metres of water daily. More than 75 per cent of current water supply needs are covered through desalination.
Frangeskos said there appeared to be no additional capacity to make water available from the southern pipeline for the new potato planting season.
The department now assesses water availability over a three-year period rather than separately each year. Based on conservative scenarios, it does not have sufficient reserves to make additional quantities available for irrigation, he said.
More than 20 million cubic metres of water are used annually to irrigate all crops.
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