FOLLOWING almost two months of drought, rains at last began to fall in Cyprus yesterday, with the Met Service promising more to come in the days ahead.
But unless there is systematic rain over the coming months, the news is likely to come as scant relief to the island’s water supply, at its lowest levels in almost a decade.
Capacity across the island’s dams currently stands at 8.1 per cent, despite heavy rainfall across the Larnaca district yesterday morning.
The Water Development Department’s Senior Technician described the situation as, “dramatic”, adding that the dams are at their lowest levels since 1998.
According to Phedros Roussis, “the dams are currently holding 22.2 million cubic metres of water, compared with 68 million at this time last year (25 per cent of capacity).”
He added that the only solution is for the island to see sustained rainfall over the winter months.
“The situation is more or less the same at all dams across the country, with the exception of Kourri, where capacity currently stands at only 2.4 per cent,” he explained.
A low-pressure system, which has caused the death of two people and serious destruction in Greece, has now moved over the island bringing heavy rain and hailstorms to Larnaca.
Senior Meteorologist Stefanos Loizou told state radio that areas such as Achna and Pyros tis Livis were inundated with up to 20mm of rain early on Monday morning, while other areas received no rainfall at all.
“Limassol, which is experiencing the most serious water shortages, did not get much rain,” he said. “The solution is for rain to fall over the area’s hills, therefore filling the dams.”
He added that more rain and hail is forecast in the next couple of days, while temperatures will hover around the 18-20 degrees Celsius mark, which is around two degrees below the average for the time of year.
At around 4am on Monday, a big hailstorm hit the Kosi-Lymbia area. In Vavatsinia, another hailstorm, which lasted around 45 minutes, damaged lemon trees, olive groves and other crops, leaving producers in shock and speaking of a total disaster.
Eyewitness reports claimed the hailstones were the size of walnuts.
Commenting on the current water shortages, former Agriculture Minister and Presidential candidate Costas Themistocleous yesterday criticised the government over its plans for a floating desalination plant, while current Minister Fotis Fotiou hit back, saying the plant will in actual fact not be floating but mobile. He added that it is only a temporary measure for two to three years and that there was no other alternative. He also said that, “unfortunately, we cannot ask God to make it rain”.
It’s believed that there are currently three tenders being assessed.
The Council of Ministers has given the green light for the plant, which is expected to produce 20,000 cubic metres of water daily, and is due to begin operations by May next year.
Construction of a permanent plant in Limassol is expected to be completed by 2010. This will produce 40,000 cubic metres of water every day.
A second unit, in Paphos, is expected to be in place by 2012, with a third, in Famagusta, no later than the following year.
