Cyprus is set to implement water supply reductions in 2026 as an ongoing drought stretches the island’s resources, according to strategies disclosed by the Water Development Department (WDD).

The first areas to face these water limitations will be Limassol and Famagusta, starting from February 2026. Paphos will follow in April, while Nicosia and Larnaca will experience reductions beginning in May.

These projections are based on the continuation of drought conditions into 2026, a complete absence of water allocation for irrigation, and the exclusion of any potential output from planned mobile desalination units.

WDD officials have expressed concern that both Limassol and Paphos already face a significant risk of being unable to satisfy daily drinking water demands during peak months in 2025, especially in the summer and fall seasons.

Limassol is expected to encounter the most significant challenges in satisfying its daily drinking water needs, as indicated by the WDD’s assessments.

Water extraction from the Kouris dam, which supports four districts (Limassol, Nicosia, Larnaca, and Famagusta), will be controlled to conserve water for Limassol, which lacks alternative dam resources.

Projections indicate that Limassol will encounter a monthly deficit of 1 million cubic meters of water starting in February 2026, increasing to 1.6 million cubic meters during the summer. Famagusta will face shortages of 0.2 million cubic meters per month starting in February, while Nicosia and Larnaca will experience shortfalls beginning in May 2026, reaching up to 1-1.4 million cubic meters during summer and fall.

To tackle the crisis, authorities are installing mobile desalination units at Garyllis (10,000 cubic meters/day), Limassol port (10,000 cubic meters/day), and Moni (10,000 cubic meters/day) to enhance Limassol’s water supply by approximately 756,000 cubic meters monthly. These installations are projected to be completed in 2026.

Further measures involve enhancing the capacity of the Episkopi desalination plant with a temporary unit capable of producing 10,000 cubic meters daily.

In Paphos, where water demand rises significantly during the tourist-heavy summer season, a mobile desalination unit with a daily capacity of 10,000 cubic meters will be set up in Kissonerga by early 2026, contributing an additional 3.24 million cubic meters annually.

Authorities are also working on a rapid filtration unit at the Evretou dam to supply the Polis Chrysochous region by summer 2026, initially producing 1,500 cubic meters daily, with a capacity to expand to 3,000 cubic meters.

The WDD is initiating projects to enhance the water supply in 60 communities that rely on local boreholes or springs. This includes utilizing 18 boreholes in Nicosia, seven in Limassol, five in Paphos, and two in Larnaca.

The WDD announced last Friday that hotels in Cyprus can swiftly obtain permits to install small-scale desalination units within a week, allowing them to be operational before the peak tourist season. The government is offering financial incentives to hotels based on their daily drinking water production capacity.

Today, it was announced that the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, is heading to Abu Dhabi to explore collaboration possibilities with the United Arab Emirates National Energy Company (TAQA). Her trip aims to investigate the feasibility of deploying mobile desalination plants in Cyprus to improve the island’s drinking water availability.