Τhe total amount of water stored in reservoirs in Cyprus currently stands at 95.9 million cubic meters (MCM) which corresponds to a 33% storage rate, compared to 56.1% (163.1 MCM) in the same period last year, Senior Executive Engineer at the Water Development Department, Helena Phinikaridou Stylianou, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA). She noted that the total water supply needs during the summer months this year are slightly higher than last year's.

Phinikaridou stated that as far as water supply is concerned, the 5 Desalination Plants in Cyprus continue to operate at full production for more than 1.5 years, noting that the full production of the Desalination Plants reduces the need for water from the dams.

She noted that in relation to water supply, the total needs during the summer months this year are slightly higher than last year. This, she continued, may be due to various reasons such as population growth, more tourists in Cyprus, less locals traveling abroad, an increase in temperature, etc.

Asked to comment if people heed calls for water saving, Phinikaridou noted that "any water saving measure or campaign for water saving gradually contributes to the creation of individual responsibility in the citizen and cultivates water awareness." She said that since there is a lot of potential to save water in simple everyday ways, it is estimated that advice by the Water Development Department and other institutions have had an impact, which is not necessarily measurable.

Asked whether there are losses from the water supply network, Phinikaridou said that as far as the Government Water Supply Systems are concerned, i.e. the central drainage pipelines (external aqueducts) which are under the responsibility of the Water Development Department, losses in them are at extremely low levels and range from 1 to 3%.

Asked whether there might be a possible revision in water prices, Phinikaridou said that in the framework of the Green Tax Reform which has been included in the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan, a special study has been prepared by foreign experts, which includes recommendations to address the challenges faced by Cyprus and its compliance with the country-specific recommendations of the European Commission. She added that in this context an increase in the environment and resources charge is planned, which is expected to be implemented by the end of the year.