Cyprus finally breathes a sigh of relief: reservoirs have doubled their levels, while water inflow has increased sixfold

After several difficult years, the island has received what it was especially lacking — water. Some reservoirs are already almost full, while one has reached 100%.

Cyprus has received an unexpected respite in an issue that has become increasingly painful for the island in recent years: freshwater reserves. Reservoir levels have recovered significantly, while the volume of incoming water has increased severalfold.

According to the Water Development Department, Cyprus’s reservoirs are currently 39% full on average. By comparison, during the same period last year, the figure stood at just 16.1%.

In absolute figures, the increase looks even more impressive — the volume of water has risen by approximately 66,747 million cubic metres.

Cyprus’s main reservoirs no longer look empty

The largest amount of water is currently held in Kouris Reservoir — around 45,791 million cubic metres, or 39.8% of its total capacity.

It is followed by Asprokremmos and Evretou, which hold 20,461 million and 10,501 million cubic metres of water respectively. This corresponds to 39.1% and 43.8% of their capacity.

Just a year ago, the situation was far more worrying. Kouris was then only 14.2% full, Asprokremmos stood at 15.4%, and Evretou at 17.1%.

In other words, the island’s largest reservoirs have made a real leap forward in a single year.

A small reservoir — but 100% full

If we look not at the volume of reserves but at the percentage filled, the leader turns out to be quite different.

Kalopanayiotis Reservoir is 100% full. It contains around 0,363 million cubic metres of water.

In second place is Xyliatos, which is 87% full, followed by Vizakia at 83.8%.

However, it would not be entirely correct to compare them directly with Kouris: these are considerably smaller reservoirs. Xyliatos has a capacity of around 1,430 million cubic metres, while Vizakia’s capacity is 1,690 million.

Nevertheless, for the island’s water resources, every reservoir that reaches full capacity matters.

Mavrokolympos has gone from zero to almost 60%

One of the most telling examples is Mavrokolympos Reservoir.

A year ago, it was effectively empty, with a fill level of 0%. It now contains around 1,283 million cubic metres of water, and its fill level has reached 58.9%.

For an island that regularly faces droughts and water shortages, this trend is particularly noteworthy.

The water is flowing: inflow has increased sixfold

But perhaps the most impressive figure concerns not the reserves themselves, but the water inflow.

From October 2025 to the present day, 115,688 million cubic metres of water have flowed into Cyprus’s reservoirs.

That is approximately six times more than was recorded from October 2024 to September 2025.

March was particularly strong. The inflow into the reservoirs was then the highest compared with figures for the corresponding months of the past decade.

A respite, not a reason to forget the problem

Against the backdrop of years of discussions about drought, declining reserves and increasing pressure on water resources, the current figures look almost like a gift from nature.

But it would be premature to conclude that Cyprus’s water shortage problem has been finally resolved. Even at current levels, the reservoirs are, on average, less than half full of their combined capacity.

For now, the island has received what it has been sorely lacking in recent years: water in its reservoirs and hope for a calmer season.

And now the key question is not only how much water has been stored, but also how wisely Cyprus will be able to manage these reserves before the next dry period.