Cyprus leads Europe in water shortages: 92% of reserves used in summer

Cyprus has topped the European ranking for water stress, using 72% of its available freshwater reserves each year, while in summer this figure reaches a critical 92%. According to Eurostat and the European Environment Agency, the island has significantly exceeded the 20% warning threshold, beyond which resource shortages begin.

Experts cite prolonged droughts, population growth, intensive construction and the influx of tourists as the main causes of the crisis. The strained access to clean drinking water affects 36.5% of Cyprus residents. To address the shortage, the government is urgently bringing desalination plants online, and citizens were previously asked to cut their daily water consumption by 10%.