Around 140,000 cubic metres of water flowed into water reserves over the past 24 hours, with approximately 118,000 cubic metres reaching the Kouris dam, Water Development Department Executive Engineer Alexios Fragkeskos told the Cyprus News Agency on Wednesday.
He stressed, however, that the recent rainfall does not change the overall water situation or the country’s water planning, although it has been particularly beneficial for irrigation.
The rainfall was unexpected for August, Fragkeskos said, but the inflows were not historically high for the period. In summer 2019, inflows were around twice as high.
Rainfall benefits agriculture
The recent rainfall has been “extremely beneficial” for irrigation, Fragkeskos said.
Since some crops require watering an average of two to three times a week, farmers have been able to save one or two watering cycles. This contributes to reducing their annual water requirements.
Despite the recent inflows, water reserves remain subject to the existing planning framework.
Fragkeskos noted that supplying the country’s cities requires around 300,000 to 350,000 cubic metres of water every day.
Desalination covers most drinking water needs
Asked whether there is sufficient water for domestic supply until the end of the year, Fragkeskos said there is.
More than 75% of drinking water needs are currently covered by desalination plants.
There are also no restrictions at present, while the amount of water stored in dams stands at around 120 million cubic metres, or approximately 40% of their total capacity.
“We are not in the position we were in last year, but we remain very cautious,” Fragkeskos said.
He explained that fluctuations in rainfall and inflows in recent years mean the department must be prepared to continually adjust its data and planning.
No room for additional irrigation allocations
Asked about the possibility of allocating additional water from the Southern Conveyor for new potato planting, Fragkeskos said there did not appear to be room for additional irrigation quantities.
He explained that the department now assesses water scenarios over a three-year period rather than looking at each year separately, taking into account mistakes made in the past.
“Based on the conservative scenarios we examine over a three-year period, we do not have the reserves that would make us feel sufficiently secure to allocate additional quantities,” he said.
He added that if the department is asked to examine the issue, it will respond as far as possible.
Recycled water supports irrigation
More than 20 million cubic metres of recycled water are used annually across Cyprus to irrigate crops where its use is permitted, Fragkeskos said.
Limassol is a notable example, with irrigation carried out almost entirely using recycled water.
As new areas are connected to sewerage systems and the volume of urban wastewater increases, more recycled water will become available for irrigation.
Projects planned for the coming years will also allow recycled water to be supplied to new areas, with Anthoupolis in eastern Nicosia cited as a recent example.
Public urged to continue saving water
Despite the recent rainfall, Fragkeskos urged the public to continue conserving water.
“We should not remember it only when the situation is very bad,” he said, stressing that water conservation should become part of people’s everyday culture.
Also read: Rainfall brings rivers back to life across Cyprus
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