The battle over the desalination water fix

Cyprus is entering 2026 amid a severe water shortage, with dam levels hovering around 12 per cent of capacity and winter rainfall providing only limited relief.

Officials have already warned that summer cutbacks are likely, similar to the emergency measures imposed in 2025. In response, the government has accelerated its reliance on desalination, treating it as an immediate operational requirement rather than a longer-term policy objective.

Desalination, first introduced in Cyprus in 1997...