Cyprus is facing a serious water shortage. The country's water reservoirs are very low. This is happening even though there was a lot of rain recently. The rain was not enough to fill the dams completely. The Water Development Department said the dams are not full. This shows Cyprus has a problem with water security.
A recent low-pressure system brought rain for five days. This rain added about 1.134 million cubic metres of water to the Kouris Dam. Kouris Dam is the largest in Cyprus. However, this amount is small for the whole month. The total water added to all dams in January was only 3.389 million cubic metres. This is not enough to fill the large dams.
The Kouris Dam is now at only 9.5% full. It can hold 115 million cubic metres. Last year, it was 22.1% full. Other dams are also very low. Vyzakia Dam is almost empty at 0.2%. Germasogeia Dam is at 1.2%. Achna Dam is at 1.8%. These dams are important for supplying water to different areas.
Some small dams are better. Kalopanagiotis Dam is 84.8% full. Pomos Dam is 37.6% full. However, these are small successes. All dams together have only 10.2% of their total capacity. Last year, they were 26.6% full. The Southern Conveyor system is also working at a low capacity. Other regions like Paphos and Nicosia also have low water reserves.
The low water levels show the effect of a long drought. The rain helped a little, but the water problem is still big. Cyprus needs more rain and better water management. Without more water, there could be a severe shortage. This could affect farming, tourism, and people's lives. The situation shows the need for long-term solutions.