# Water Shortage



## charlesroebuck (Nov 15, 2009)

Hi 

I am coming to Cyprus in March and the landlord of the apartment where we will be staying says that Cyprus is currently experiencing a water shortage - is this correct. and does this happen very often


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

charlesroebuck said:


> Hi
> 
> I am coming to Cyprus in March and the landlord of the apartment where we will be staying says that Cyprus is currently experiencing a water shortage - is this correct. and does this happen very often


not Often; Always.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

The present water levels in the reservoirs are far healthier than they were at the end of the rainy season two years ago and we have not yet had the February and March rains so the situation should not be too bad this year. 
Some parts of the island are hit harder than others when there is a shortage so how badly it will affect you if we have water cuts depends on where you are going to be living.

Veronica


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

These pictures will show you how much more healthy the water situation is this year. 

The pictures all show the same main post in the Asprokremnos reservoir. 
Picture 1 is March 08
Picture 2 is November 08. This shows how bad the situation was then
Picture 3 is March 09 . Looking much better then
Picture 4 is Dec 09. As you can see from t he second smaller pole the water levels are much higher even than March that year. 
The rainy time is still to come this year, Februay and March being the wettest months.


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## kimonas (Jul 19, 2008)

charlesroebuck said:


> Hi
> 
> I am coming to Cyprus in March and the landlord of the apartment where we will be staying says that Cyprus is currently experiencing a water shortage - is this correct. and does this happen very often


from 'Cyprus Mail' 9/1/10 

'WATER cuts will begin throughout the island on Monday, the Agriculture Ministry decided yesterday. During a minister meeting to discuss restarting water cuts it was decided to continue the practice of cutting water until the end of the month and to revaluate the situation again in February. If deemed necessary the cuts will continue into the next month also, reports said.' 

And the Mail makes the comment 

"Given the water shortage problems of the past, it would have been reckless to lift all restrictions. Households enjoyed a continuous water supply since mid-December, but showed no inclination to be economical in their water use. It was reported that about 15 per cent more water was used than in the corresponding period of 2007 when there were no cuts, indicating that, given the opportunity, people had no qualms about wasting water."

Several people are already reporting that their water has been cut off - it's a bit difficult to take as there has been a couple of months of torrentail rain in the lead up to Christmas and the resevoirs have been filling up, but the capacity is not great and the aquifers have been seriously depleted by long-term drought. Many people (depending on location) do suffer from cuts during the summer especially when there just isn't enough water to go round - pretty frustrating if you have a smelly family!


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

It always annoys me when I see Cypriot women or thier Philpina maids hosing down their drives and even the roads outside their homes when we are doing everything we can to save water.
The stupid thing is that there are some people who are saying that after the heavy rains we had before Christmas we have enough water for 5 years.
What a lot of rubbish, but this is the way the Cypriots think. A week of rain and they think the can use as much water as they like.


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## Mycroft (Sep 9, 2009)

Living in the mountains we have been lucky not to have any times without water last year, as we have springs and bore holes all around us. However I too am amazed how much water is wasted by hosing down of patios and generally wasting this precious resource. I also understand that the government has once gain postponed (cancelled) the contract for one of the desalination plants, as we had rain in December. But as there has been little snow so far this year the reserves will be limited for 2010 unless we have a lot of snow and/or rain.


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

Veronica said:


> It always annoys me when I see Cypriot women or thier Philpina maids hosing down their drives and even the roads outside their homes when we are doing everything we can to save water.
> The stupid thing is that there are some people who are saying that after the heavy rains we had before Christmas we have enough water for 5 years.
> What a lot of rubbish, but this is the way the Cypriots think. A week of rain and they think the can use as much water as they like.


I think my next door neighbor win the prize on this one. Midnight, from inside the house, holds the hose outside the window and hoses down her car!

I am surprised people are allowed to have lawns just because they have a well as if the underground water is their property once they have a well. In Las Vegas people are not allowed to have a lawn and still have beautiful gardens. Also I don't know many people who take advantage of the government's incentives for a brown water treatment or rain collection as they consider them expensive and unnecessary. In New York city you can no longer get a building permit without a provision for rain water collection. New York city also considers it self to have a water shortage problem as water has to come down from the mountains.


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## Steve of Adelaide (Dec 13, 2009)

I'm surprised the government uses water cuts as their preferred water saving strategy. Here in South Australia, the driest state in the driest continent on earth, we have lived with water restrictions for a number of years. These water restrictions come in varying degrees, depending on the need. Sometimes it means that one cannot use sprinklers on their lawns or use hoses to wash the car. Other times one can only water the gardens on certain days of the week. At level 5 restrictions no watering at all is allowed. For the most part, people stick to the restrictions, and as a result we have saved a lot of water. Education programs by the government on being water wise have also done their part, as well as rebates for water saving devices and appliances in the home. As a result, myself and most people I know are now water conscious by default. Is there any comparable system in Cyprus, or is the more draconian water-cutting measure the only strategy employed? I would hate to have to live without water when I do the right thing. Water cuts don't seem the best incentive to save water... all stick and no carrot, if you ask me.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

Steve of Adelaide said:


> I'm surprised the government uses water cuts as their preferred water saving strategy. Here in South Australia, the driest state in the driest continent on earth, we have lived with water restrictions for a number of years. These water restrictions come in varying degrees, depending on the need. Sometimes it means that one cannot use sprinklers on their lawns or use hoses to wash the car. Other times one can only water the gardens on certain days of the week. At level 5 restrictions no watering at all is allowed. For the most part, people stick to the restrictions, and as a result we have saved a lot of water. Education programs by the government on being water wise have also done their part, as well as rebates for water saving devices and appliances in the home. As a result, myself and most people I know are now water conscious by default. Is there any comparable system in Cyprus, or is the more draconian water-cutting measure the only strategy employed? I would hate to have to live without water when I do the right thing. Water cuts don't seem the best incentive to save water... all stick and no carrot, if you ask me.


How it works here is that in the most badly affected areas water will be cut off every other day. As all houses have water tanks on the roof there is usually enough water in these tanks for essentials until the water is back on. Other areas simply turn down the pressure so that although you get water it is not so easy to waste it.
Where we live we have never had so much as one day without water but we often have reduced pressure while other people we know often have their water cut.
Most people also tend to use the water coolers for drinking water so this means that you will always have nice fresh water to drink and the water in tanks on the roof is just used for flushing loos etc. The thing is not to use washing machines etc on the day you have a water cut.

Veronica


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## zeebo (Nov 15, 2009)

I was absolutely disgusted when I heard that the Cypriot government were planning to build two plants to indiscriminately kill beautiful marine mammals as a byproduct of getting more water!! I know the water shortage is a problem but surely de-sealionation isn’t the answer!

Couldn’t they find a more humane method of getting water? Like big plastic sheets in the desert with stones in the middle that drip into an old baked bean can?


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

zeebo said:


> I was absolutely disgusted when I heard that the Cypriot government were planning to build two plants to indiscriminately kill beautiful marine mammals as a byproduct of getting more water!! I know the water shortage is a problem but surely de-sealionation isn’t the answer!
> 
> Couldn’t they find a more humane method of getting water? Like big plastic sheets in the desert with stones in the middle that drip into an old baked bean can?


Some people talk nonsense don't they?


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