Water policy in Cyprus is fragmented across water supply, leaks, reuse, pricing, infrastructure financing, agriculture and environmental protection, without a single long-term framework with clear accountability. This problem — and, at the same time, a challenge for a country facing the consequences of prolonged drought, climate change and growing demand for water — was the subject of discussion at a panel of experts last Tuesday, held as part of the Cyprus Forum in Nicosia.
The aim was to examine the feasibility of a 15- to 25-year national strategy and determine the institutional framework, targets, financing and public accountability mechanisms required to implement it, against the backdrop of prolonged drought and other pressures, including population growth and the needs of tourism and agriculture. These pressures have exposed the limits of existing infrastructure.
Setting the tone for the discussion, moderator Andreas Kazamias, a board adviser at Morphosis and an international management consultant, stressed the need for an integrated approach covering the production, distribution, use and reuse of water.
The biggest weakness
All speakers agreed with the fundamental philosophy behind the strategy developed and now being implemented by the Water Development Department (WDD): no single solution is sufficient, and tackling the water problem requires a combination of desalination, water reuse, reducing leaks and making use of rainwater.
However, it emerged that the system’s biggest weakness is the institutional framework and the fragmentation of responsibilities. The need for better coordination between all relevant bodies through a unified national water strategy was emphasised.
In his contribution, former chairman of the House Environment Committee Charalambos Theopemptou argued that the biggest problem is the lack of an integrated strategy and coordination.
Among other points, he stressed that rainwater from homes is not being utilised for gardens and toilets, there is no organised collection of road runoff to replenish aquifers, there is insufficient infrastructure for storing recycled water, while various bodies — including the Ministry of Interior — have responsibilities without coordination with the Water Development Department of the Ministry of Agriculture.
He also questioned why rainwater utilisation studies have not yet been made a requirement when development projects are being licensed.
“For example, if you look at houses in Ireland, you can see how rainwater is utilised. Here, however, there are factors working against us, and the system we have developed does not help as much as it should,” Theopemptou said.
Four entities
A water strategy must be built around coordination between four entities, according to Dr Tedd Moya Mose of the UK, a lawyer specialising in climate policy, sustainable finance, just transition and energy law.
“First, the government. Second, the private sector — if the governance system is clear, investment risk is reduced and the private sector can participate. The third element is development partners. And finally, local authorities must be involved because, at local level, they determine land use, waste management, wastewater management and so on,” he said.
At the same time, he argued that Cyprus’ relationship with the sea needs to change.
“First, less fresh water should end up in the sea and, second, less brine from desalination or other processes should be discharged there. In a place like this, where the ratio of tourists to permanent residents is three to one, I believe that the hotel sector and agriculture in particular are areas that need to be prioritised, especially if you want to comply with European Union requirements,” Mose stressed.
At the expense of water security
Using the wider Lakatamia and western Nicosia area as an example, where intense residential development is steadily increasing demand for water, Nicosia District Local Government Organisation president Konstantinos Yiorkatzis said there is no strategic coordination between the relevant authorities over the creation of water infrastructure.
Water demand in the area is estimated to reach 14,000 cubic metres per day within the next five years, exceeding the capacity of the existing WDD system, which supplies 12,000 cubic metres per day. This could result in a serious water shortage in the area within the next five or six years.
“There is no alignment between the investments that the Water Development Department needs to make and the residential investments being undertaken by the private sector, which the Ministry of Interior knows are under way. Nor are population increases in specific areas being taken into account,” he explained.
A single water management body
Yiorkatzis also proposed the creation of a single Water Management Authority.
Such a body, he said, should monitor the country’s overall water balance, coordinate all the organisations involved and develop policies based on scientific data and the actual needs of each area.
It could also bring dams, desalination plants, water supply networks, recycled-water reuse, stormwater management, groundwater protection and tariff policy into a single planning framework — one that protects average households and vulnerable groups while discouraging unnecessary consumption.
According to Yiorkatzis, separating the body responsible for water production from the body responsible for managing the overall water balance would strengthen transparency, accountability and decision-making efficiency.
“A very good example: I am the president of a district local government organisation and I want to reduce leaks, which are currently below the European average. At the same time, the WDD wants to produce more water. If €10 million is available, who decides where it should be invested — in other words, what is the most efficient option?
“The question is simple: who will decide whether it is preferable to invest the money to reduce leaks in our network from 22% to 15%, or whether more water should be produced to cover that amount? No one carries out this analysis today, and that is why we are not making the best decisions,” he said.
Alternative solutions
Alexandros Stefanakis, assistant professor at the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Crete, focused on alternative and sustainable solutions.
His key points included treating recycled water and stormwater as new sources of water; the need to combine centralised and decentralised wastewater treatment systems; adapting the required water quality according to its intended use; applying circular economy principles; and addressing flooding, water scarcity and ecosystem degradation through nature-based solutions.
He also presented examples from countries including Australia, the United States, the Czech Republic and Mexico, demonstrating that water reuse can be implemented at different scales and in different environments.
WDD strategy rests on four pillars
Water Development Department director Iliana Tofa-Christodoulou presented a vision for a system that would ensure reliable water supply, sustainability, affordability and adequate supplies for households, agriculture, the economy and the environment.
The four main pillars of the strategy are diversifying water sources, using water more efficiently, preparing for periods of crisis and drought, and, finally, accountability and better governance.
She stressed that rainfall can no longer be regarded as a reliable basis for planning and that desalination has become the main pillar of Cyprus’ water supply. A significant increase in production capacity is being pursued through new desalination plants.
At the same time, she made clear that desalination alone is not enough and that water reuse, conservation and reducing losses in networks are also required.
Responding to a question from the audience, she referred to plans for the development of permanent desalination plants powered by renewable energy sources.
Meanwhile, Michalis Michael, a senior executive engineer at the Water Development Department, said the plan for the next steps, approved by the Council of Ministers on 2 September, provides for an increase in desalination capacity from approximately 280,000 cubic metres per day today to 500,000 cubic metres per day.
Four new permanent plants are expected to add significant additional capacity during 2030–31, while mobile units will ensure short-term readiness.
He noted that the feasibility study currently under way will assess both energy efficiency and the need to maintain temporary or mobile units that can remain available.
