A water crisis is brewing in Cyprus, affecting five rural communities in the Nicosia region.
After the impassion of the Byzakia reservoir completely dried, the inhabitants and farmers were left without water, and the crops began to die. At a meeting of the parliamentary committee on agriculture, deputies and community representatives called on the government to take urgent measures in order to prevent an environmental and economic disaster.
The deputy from the DISY party Saviya Orfanida, who raised the question on the agenda, said: “We are giving the SOS signal for people in our rural areas.” According to her, farming and crop are under threat of disappearance, and lack of water turns into one of the most serious problems of Western Nicosia.
The problem affects not only Visakia, but also the neighboring villages of Nikitari, Potamiou, Agios Georgios and Koutrafas. Some of them are already experiencing water outages, and the level in wells has dropped catastrophically.
Farmers in the Xyliatos region petitioned the authorities back in the spring to allow the use of water from the nearby artificial lake Memi for irrigation. However, experts from the Ministry of Agriculture rejected this option, citing environmental risks and water pollution.
At the same time, it turned out that the solo reservoir is also not used in full, and its irrigation network needs reconstruction.
AKEL parliamentarian Christos Christofides stressed that water has become one of the two main national problems of Cyprus - along with the political issue of the island. According to him, statements that the water crisis has been solved are “another big joke that will remain in history.”
He called on the country's president and agriculture minister to intervene immediately to save farmers from collapse.
The head of the Visakia community, Eleni Neoptolemu, said that the situation has reached the point of no return: reservoirs have dried up, wells have been depleted, and rural life is fading away every day. “We ask the state to help - to drill new wells, ensure the supply of water from other regions and consider the possibility of desalination. We desperately need support,” she said.
Neoptolemu added that Cyprus lags 30 years behind other countries in sustainable water management.
Experts warn that the 2025 drought could be the worst in decades. Lack of rainfall, high temperatures and weak infrastructure have increased water scarcity in inland areas.
If emergency measures are not taken in the coming months - the construction of new water pipelines, drilling wells and the introduction of desalination technologies - Cyprus may encounter a massive outflow of the rural population and an increase in food prices.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
