Larnaca district reduces water supply

The amount of water being supplied to the Larnaca district has been reduced, the Larnaca district government said on Wednesday, with the water pressure in the district’s pipes having been reduced.

It said the water pressure had been reduced on Tuesday, as part of measures the district government is undertaking to “rationalise water use and save water in view of the particularly difficult water situation facing our country”.

However, it stressed that water pressure would not fall below two atmospheres (29.4 psi) at any point or at any time.

Additionally, it highlighted the fact that the installation of a water tank is mandatory in all premises, and that each premises’ tank must have a capacity of at least 800 litres”.

It went on to state that in buildings where the reduced pressure causes problems in the supply of water, the responsibility to resolve those issues will fall on the properties’ owners.

It then called on the public to “actively contribute to the effort to save water”, and said that a “responsible attitude and cooperation” on the part of the public will be “crucial to avoiding stricter measures or future cuts to the water supply”.

The move comes weeks after  agriculture ministry permanent secretary Andreas Gregoriou had warned that the possibility of water cuts is “real”, with the island’s water reserves remaining low.

He added that the government is aiming to avoid water cuts in the summer, despite projections that the island will have 10 per cent less water at its disposal than what it is projected to need.

According to the water development department’s latest statistics, which were released on Wednesday, the island’s reservoirs are only 20 per cent full, with just over 58 million cubic metres of water currently in them.

A little over two years ago, in December 2023, there were 133 million cubic metres of water in the reservoirs, meaning they were 45.5 per cent full at the time.

Broken down by area, the southern conveyor, which supplies the Larnaca district, is facing the biggest shortage, however, with its reservoirs just 16.9 per cent full, having been 25.4 per cent full this time last year.

In particular, the Achna reservoir, one of the eight which feed the island’s southern coast, is just two per cent full, and thus contains just 139,000 cubic metres of water. This time last year, there was almost 12 times more water in that reservoir alone.

Elsewhere, reservoirs near Paphos are now 23.4 per cent full – marginally above the national average – compared to a figure of 26.5 per cent recorded a year ago.

Reservoirs in the Polis Chrysochous area are faring better, at 29.7 per cent full, and are now fuller than they were a year ago, when they were 26.8 per cent full.

The picture is looking much rosier in Nicosia, meanwhile. where the district’s three reservoirs are more than twice as full they were a year ago. At present, reservoirs in the Nicosia district are 47.7 per cent full, having been 18.8 per cent full this time last year, with the Kalopanayiotis reservoir at capacity.