Some areas of Cyprus were faced with an acute lack of water, so the government is actively looking for ways to solve this problem.
In Limassol and Paphos, a state of emergency was introduced, and the Council of Ministers urgently took additional measures to overcome water shortage.
The main task was the operational expansion of existing capacities in the desalination of water. In Paphos and Episcopes (Limassol), it is planned to install mobile desalination installations, each of which can produce up to 10,000 cubic meters of water per day. These measures are especially important in anticipation of the summer season, when water consumption reaches peak values.
Cyprus reservoirs are rapidly exhausted: at the moment, their fullness is only 24.6%, while last year for the same period the indicator was 47.2%. The main causes of steel deficiency:
Dry winters and the lack of enough precipitation.
The fire that destroyed the desalination station in Kuklia (Paphos).
The accident on the dam of Mavrocolimpos, which led to a loss of 1.4 million cubic meters of water.
The growth of water consumption by 6% in the area of the Unified Southern Pipeline Plan and by 8% in pathos due to an increase in tourist flow and expanding water supply.
To solve the problem, the Cyprus authorities decided to introduce a number of initiatives:
The process of licensing of private depressive stations for hotels, municipalities and farmers was temporarily simplified. Now the receipt of permission takes only a week. In the next two years, 3 million euros will be allocated for the installation of small private desalination systems in hotels to reduce the load on state water supply. To combat leaks in water supply networks, 8 million euros are provided for modernization of the infrastructure.
The Minister of Agriculture Maria Panayota emphasized that about 35–40% of water is lost in structures due to their wear. The government intends to speed up their updating and implement long -term solutions to make a water supply system more stable.
If the drought continues the next winter, the problem will remain in 2026, which can lead to serious socio-economic consequences, including the threat of food security. In this regard, the government has already launched a national investment plan in water structures, providing for financing in the amount of 1.2 billion euros.
The measures taken are only part of a large -scale program to combat the water crisis, however, their effectiveness will depend on the pace of implementation of projects and further weather conditions.
Source: Philenews.com
