Cyprus is intensifying efforts to mitigate its worsening water crisis by increasing its reliance on desalination plants. Following a succession of dry winters that have left the island’s 108 dams at just 25% of their total capacity, Agriculture and Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou announced plans for new desalination projects and upgrades to existing facilities.
To address the immediate water shortages, Cyprus will deploy four additional mobile desalination units by October 2025. Each unit will produce 30,000 cubic meters (1 million cubic feet) of potable water daily. These will complement the five permanent desalination plants already in operation, which together generate 235,000 cubic meters (8.3 million cubic feet) of fresh water per day. However, one of the existing plants is temporarily out of service following a fire.
Panayiotou stated that the mobile units are part of a €66.4 million ($69.7 million) short-term strategy, which also includes drilling four additional boreholes and upgrading the island’s water distribution infrastructure to reduce losses.
Looking ahead, the government aims to expand and modernize all desalination facilities to quadruple daily fresh water production. Additionally, plans are underway to construct two new plants, each with a capacity of 140,000 cubic meters (5 million cubic feet) per day. These projects, expected to be completed within the next decade, will double the island’s desalination capacity, ensuring sufficient water supply for the foreseeable future.
Although Cyprus boasts one of Europe’s most extensive dam networks relative to its population, with a total capacity of 330 million cubic meters (11.6 billion cubic feet), the island has seen declining rainfall due to climate change. The 2023-2024 winter was recorded as the driest in 50 years, with dam reserves plummeting from 46% last year to the current 25%.
Panayiotou emphasized that climate-induced droughts have necessitated a shift away from sole reliance on dams to a more diversified approach incorporating advanced desalination technologies.
Beyond infrastructure development, the government is also focusing on conservation. New technologies will optimize water use in agriculture, and a public awareness campaign will encourage citizens to adopt water-saving practices. “Conserving water is a responsibility we all share,” Panayiotou remarked. “We cannot afford to waste this precious resource.”
As Cyprus grapples with its driest years on record, these measures aim to secure a sustainable water future for its population of nearly one million.
