Drought plans remain in place despite dams filling up

The government will not suspend plans to tackle the drought despite the heavy rainfall, which is expected to fill water reservoirs to capacity, Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the island’s biggest dam, Kouris, which has overflowed, along with several others, Kadis said Cyprus’ reservoirs were currently at 97 per cent of capacity and were expected to reach 100 per cent.

Twelve of the 18 large dams were full and three more were expected to overflow this week.

“In any case, this does not mean that our plans to tackle the drought will either slow down or be suspended,” he said.

Kadis said the plan drafted by the government is being implemented to the letter with important infrastructure projects underway to ensure there is enough drinking water and plenty for irrigation.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.