Water supply restrictions may be imposed in Cyprus in summer: reservoir levels remain critically low

Despite relatively satisfactory rainfall levels in January, concerns are growing in Cyprus over possible water supply restrictions in the summer. There are two main reasons: low reservoir filling levels and delays in commissioning desalination plants.

According to the Cyprus Water Development Department, as of January 28, 2026, the overall reservoir filling level stood at 12.1%. For comparison, on the same day last year it reached 26.1%.

Experts stress that significant and prolonged rainfall is needed to substantially improve the situation; otherwise, water reserves will remain insufficient for the summer period.

A second serious risk factor is delays in the installation and launch of desalination units. Back in October 2024, the government informed the parliamentary agriculture committee that by June 2025 a mobile unit with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day would start operating in the Garyllis area of Limassol. However, the facility has still not been commissioned.

A similar situation has occurred with a second unit of the same capacity announced for Limassol port.

Limassol Water Board (EOA) chairman Yiannis Tsouloftas strongly criticized the current situation. In an interview with Cyprus Media, he stated that Limassol’s water supply today largely depends on weather conditions, namely the water reserves of the Kouris and Germasogeia reservoirs.

According to him, the permanent desalination plant in Episkopi covers less than half of the city’s needs, while Nicosia, Larnaca, and Famagusta are largely supplied through desalination.

“If there is no significant inflow of water into the reservoirs in the near future, restrictions on drinking water supply will become a very likely scenario,” Tsouloftas emphasized.

He also criticized the slow pace of the state apparatus, noting that the water shortage problem had been evident since 2023, yet over three years the state has not commissioned a single new desalination plant, apart from a mobile station supplied from the UAE at the initiative of the president.

The Water Development Department reported that mobile desalination units in the Garyllis area and Limassol port are under construction and are expected to be launched in March, with efforts underway to begin operations as early as February.

As explained by senior official Michalis Michail, the tender for a 10,000 cubic meters per day unit planned for installation in Episkopi in summer has already been completed and contract signing is being prepared. This unit, along with two others—in Vasiliko and Ayia Napa—will receive increased capacity following a recent Cabinet decision.

Recently, the Cyprus Cabinet approved a sixth package of measures to combat the water crisis totaling €31 million for 2026. The strategy is based on three pillars:

1. Expansion of desalination capacity — new mobile and floating units, including a project in Mazotos with a capacity of up to 40,000 cubic meters per day and a floating station in Germasogeia.
2. Reduction of water losses — emergency works and network upgrades with state support (up to €300,000 for each water authority).
3. Demand reduction — an information campaign aimed at cutting water consumption by 10% compared to 2025, as well as providing water-saving equipment to households and public institutions.

Authorities emphasize that the coming months will be decisive in preventing strict water supply restrictions during the summer period.