.
( Source : Aspect of Cyprus)
Throughout its long history Cyprus has always been confronted with the problem of water shortage. Droughts are a very usual phenomenon. Cyprus has no rivers with perennial flow while rainfall is highly variable and droughts occur frequently. The mean annual precipitation, including snowfall, amounts to approximately 500 millimetres, whereas during the past thirty years (1973-2003) this amount was reduced to 480 millimetres.
Until 1970 groundwater was the main source of water for both drinking and irrigation purposes. As a result almost all aquifers were seriously depleted because of over pumping and seawater intrusion was observed in most of the coastal aquifers. At the same time large quantities of surface water were lost to the sea.
The water problem and its exacerbation over the years were recognised early enough by the relevant state authorities, which aided by international organisations, designed a long-term programme to combat the problem effectively.
Following independence, attention was turned to the systematic study and construction of water development works, both for storage and recharge purposes. The first step involved the carrying out of a comprehensive survey of the island’s water resources followed by the implementation of a long term plan for the construction of major development projects, which involved the construction of a large number of dams.
Today, the total storage capacity of the dams is about 307, 5 million cubic meters (MCM) of water, compared to 6 MCM in1960, a performance which is really impressive when compared to other countries of the same size and development level.
Despite the remarkable work performed in the sector of water development, unfortunately, due to the increased demand of water and the declining trend of rainfall, to the, well known now in the world, climatological changes and the greenhouse phenomenon, the available quantities of water for water supply and irrigation are not adequate.
Throughout its long history Cyprus has always been confronted with the problem of water shortage. Droughts are a very usual phenomenon. Cyprus has no rivers with perennial flow while rainfall is highly variable and droughts occur frequently. The mean annual precipitation, including snowfall, amounts to approximately 500 millimetres, whereas during the past thirty years (1973-2003) this amount was reduced to 480 millimetres.
Until 1970 groundwater was the main source of water for both drinking and irrigation purposes. As a result almost all aquifers were seriously depleted because of over pumping and seawater intrusion was observed in most of the coastal aquifers. At the same time large quantities of surface water were lost to the sea.
The water problem and its exacerbation over the years were recognised early enough by the relevant state authorities, which aided by international organisations, designed a long-term programme to combat the problem effectively.
Following independence, attention was turned to the systematic study and construction of water development works, both for storage and recharge purposes. The first step involved the carrying out of a comprehensive survey of the island’s water resources followed by the implementation of a long term plan for the construction of major development projects, which involved the construction of a large number of dams.
Today, the total storage capacity of the dams is about 307, 5 million cubic meters (MCM) of water, compared to 6 MCM in1960, a performance which is really impressive when compared to other countries of the same size and development level.
Despite the remarkable work performed in the sector of water development, unfortunately, due to the increased demand of water and the declining trend of rainfall, to the, well known now in the world, climatological changes and the greenhouse phenomenon, the available quantities of water for water supply and irrigation are not adequate.
See also
List of reservoirs and dams in Cyprus
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