Water cuts looming for irrigation

The water development department is preparing a three-year plan to manage the country’s irrigation needs as Cyprus faces its third-lowest water levels in a decade, chief engineer at the department, Yiannia Economidou, said on Friday.

The plans entail water cuts where irrigation is concerned but not water supply for the general population. The department is taking measures to utilise the five desalination plants across the country, she said.

The decision was approved by Cabinet, Economidou specified.

Earlier this year, the department said low rainfall last year coupled with a prolonged dry season in the first two winter months have resulted in an average water capacity of 45.7 per cent, compared with 67.2 per cent in the same period in 2023.