Cyprus is experiencing one of the most serious water crises over the past decades. The country is forced to balance between the needs of tourism and the constantly declining water availability.
According to the Institute of World Resources, Cyprus ranks second in the world in terms of risk of water lack of water. Even with the most optimistic scenario for 2030, the forecasts of the institute look alarming: the deficiency of water resources will remain at a critical level. At the same time, Cyprus is in second place in the European Union in the consumption of water on the hectare of irrigated lands.
In 2022, in Cyprus, the highest water consumption index (Wei+) was recorded in the EU - 71 units, which significantly exceeds the threshold level of 40 units, indicating acute water shortage. This indicator compares the levels of water use with the volume of renewable water resources. In 2000, Wei+ Cyprus was 59.5 units.
Help from the UAE
To solve the problem of water supply, the Republic of Cyprus concluded an agreement with the UAE on the use of 14 desalination attitudes. Each of them is capable of producing 1050 cubic meters of fresh water daily. Thus, the total performance of all desalination installations is 15,000 cubic meters. They will serve the regions of Limassol and Paphos - it is there in the summer months the demand for water is the largest. The first of them - the point of desalination of water at a power plant in Moni (Limassol) - has already been commissioned.
Subsidies to hotels for desalination of water
The Department of Water Management of the Ministry of Agriculture also allocated a grant of 3 million euros for the installation of small desalination installations in hotels. Cyprus is the only EU country where the state subsidizes to the hotels desalination. The plan, designed for two years, was introduced to provide hotel complexes with drinking water and reduce their dependence on state water supply systems. The project provides a subsidy of 300,000 euros for the purchase or long -term rental of conditions of sufficient capacity. As of mid -July, 11 hotel units submitted applications for participation in the program.
Example of Spain and Greece
Lack of water is observed not only in Cyprus. Spain and Greece also suffer from it. In Catalonia, for example, tourists are called to limit daily water consumption and strict restrictions are introduced, for example, they turn off the shower on the beaches and forbid to fill the pools with drinking water. In Greece, which takes 19th place in the world at risk of water lack of water, they study the opportunity to use sea water in hotel basins on the islands.
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Rubrication of Cyprus Tourism also conduct an information campaign among tourists. Departments talk about water saving during staying in hotels, calling for abandoning too frequent replacement of towels and bedding.
The text is prepared based on Sigmalive.
