THE prolonged recent dry spell has raised fears of drought, with water reservoirs currently at about 25 per cent of their capacity, according to Meteorological Department director.
Kyriacos Theofilou said the next couple of days might see some rain, but otherwise the forecast was for clear and sunny weather, as it has been for most of the past month.
“The current situation regarding the weather and the levels of rainfall we have been experiencing is very disappointing. It’s especially bad given that December and January are supposed to be the rainiest months of the year,” he said.
“In the next few days there are possibilities that we will have some rain, and from Tuesday afternoon we are in fact expecting cloudy weather with some rainfall. This bout of bad weather is set to continue until Wednesday, but on Thursday the weather should be clear again.
He said there the current situation in the dams was definitely cause for concern. “The picture is not encouraging, we are talking about the dams only being full by a quarter of their actual capacity. This should not make us feel secure, unless we see a period of rainy weather, which might replenish supplies somewhat.
His gloomy forecast came as the Green Party yesterday presented statistics that highlighted the change in weather conditions in the world over the past few years, mainly due to human influence.
According to statistics, the 20th century was the warmest century in the last 1,000 years, with temperatures having increased by up to eight degrees Celsius. Furthermore, a quarter of the bird species in Europe are under the threat of extinction.
The report also claims that by 2100 the sea level in the Mediterranean may rise by one metre and that in the past five years the planet has lost approximately seven hectares of forest, with a considerable increase in extreme weather conditions, resulting in the rise of droughts, floods and hurricanes.
The Greens claim the use of renewable resources is the only real solution to the problem. Chemical engineer Alkis Papis said that there was a lot of potential for Cyprus to use renewable energy.
“Each and every one of us has to contribute. Cyprus has unlimited solar energy, which must be utilised in every sector of energy production,” he said. He also called on the government to encourage people to want to help the environment. “There needs to be an introduction of financial motives and incentives to make citizens understand that the environmental approach in their lives will provide them with positive financial results.”
