The Council of Ministers approved today, Wednesday, September 16, 2026, the allocation of an additional 3.5 million cubic meters of irrigation water for the remainder of 2026.
Of this amount, 3 million cubic meters will be allocated from the Southern Pipeline Integrated Plan and 500,000 cubic meters from the Paphos Large-Scale Irrigation Project, as stated by Minister of Agriculture Christos Senekis in remarks following the conclusion of the Cabinet meeting.
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Specifically, of the additional volume from the Southern Pipeline, two million cubic meters will be allocated for fall seasonal crops, including potato cultivation, and one million cubic meters for tree crops.
The decision is based on updated actual data and the technical assessment of the Water Development Department. The additional inflows recorded in the Unified Plan for the Southern Aqueduct, following the decision of the Council of Ministers last June, combined with trends in water consumption, have created limited scope for targeted support of agricultural production.
“I want, however, to be absolutely clear: today’s decision does not mean that the water shortage problem has been overcome, nor that the need for prudent water management has been eliminated. The additional allocation will be implemented under strict monitoring of consumption, and any deviation or overuse will be addressed with the prescribed corrective measures,” Mr. Senekis emphasized at the same time.
The government is demonstrating in practice, he added, that it listens to the documented needs of the agricultural community and, when actual conditions permit, intervenes responsibly and decisively.
“We support agricultural production but do not jeopardize the country’s water security. We make use of every available opportunity with moderation, technical documentation, transparency, and strict oversight,” he concluded.
