Today, desalination plants provide about 80% of the water supply, and with the projects scheduled for completion by 2027, we will approach 100%, said Maria Panagiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and the Environment, who visited the desalination plant at the Port of Limassol on Monday morning.

In her remarks, made in the presence of TAU Director Iliana Tofas Christidou, the Minister of Agriculture said that this is the fourth desalination plant to become operational in the last two years and noted that the government has taken delivery of five desalination plants, which were built over a period of 25 years, and that within approximately two years, four more plants are now operational “thanks to the coordinated, organized, and comprehensive policy we have implemented regarding water resources.”

Specifically, as he pointed out, “what we essentially did was increase the amount of water we draw from unconventional sources,” adding that “through the four additional desalination plants we have built, the one coming to Limassol this fall, and the two we plan to have supplying water by 2027, we are on track to meet 100% of our water supply needs by 2027.”

For the first time, he noted, the number of desalination plants will reach double digits, and he pointed out that “all of these are stopgap measures until the completion of the four additional permanent desalination plants that will begin supplying water island-wide in 2029.”

When asked whether this means there will be no water supply cuts, she said that “Upon taking office, I found the reservoirs at lower levels than they are today, and thanks to the comprehensive policy implemented by the government of Nikos Christodoulides, as well as the superhuman efforts made by the Water Authority—and I thank the staff for that—we have managed to avoid making any cuts to the water supply.”

READ ALSO: A “cry” of anguish from goat and sheep farmers, as they seek financial support from the state | AlphaNews

When asked about the delivery date of the desalination plant at the port of Limassol, he said it took nearly twice as long as originally estimated, as unforeseen factors arose along the way, “such as an EAC cable that had delayed us.”

“It’s what we often say: we’re talking about demanding infrastructure construction projects. They take time to be built, they take time to mature, they take time to prepare, and they take time to find suitable locations, of which there aren’t many in Cyprus,” the Minister said, adding that “we have exhausted them with the choices we have made as a government, because we are utilizing various locations across Cyprus where opportunities existed to meet our needs.”

At the same time, Ms. Panayiotou noted that the remaining problem is that of irrigation, which is expected to be resolved once the water supply issue is resolved.

“Our farmers face water rationing almost every year, and only twice since 2004—if I’m not mistaken—have they received their full allocations,” she said, adding that “we are solving the water supply problem by meeting 100% of our needs through desalination, so that the water in our reservoirs can be made available uninterrupted and continuously to our irrigators and farmers.”

Noting that “this cannot be solved in a single day,” he added that “we are building up reserves in our reservoirs right now through our policies on drinking water supply and desalination, and as we have said many times, the irrigation problem is solved by resolving the drinking water supply issue.”

He also emphasized that the government stands with our irrigators, and this year increased water allocations were provided to professional farmers with permanent crops.

He further emphasized that “we are not resting on our laurels. Just because it rained this year does not mean we will repeat the mistakes of the past,” and that “we want citizens to use water wisely in their homes, because the water we waste is the water we deprive our farmers of, and we must always remember that.”

The Ministry, he noted, is promoting water conservation beyond the campaign at the Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Companies (MKΔ), under the slogan “Water for Tomorrow,” and by distributing 3 million water-saving devices—the well-known nozzles, as he put it—of which 2 million are for faucets and 1 million for showers. “Deliveries have begun in Paphos and will reach all households across Cyprus by the end of August,” he added.

The General Manager of Sychem Cyprus Ltd, Theodoulos Panteli, who said that the company undertook three desalination projects in Cyprus, of which those in Kissonerga and Limassol Harbor have been completed, while the desalination plant in Episkopi is nearing completion.

The Minister of Agriculture then visited the mobile desalination plant located in the Garyllis River area.

Source: CNA