Millions of people in the world, especially those in drought-ridden areas of Africa, do not have access to clean drinking water. Yet the waterless plight faced by many could also one day be felt in Europe, if the experience of the tiny island of Cyprus is anything to go by.
This article looks at how desperate the water shortage in Cyprus has become and whether the steps taken to combat the water crisis on the island are sustainable.
Rainfall Data for Cyprus
Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, used to be called the Green Island, but that was many years ago when children in mountain villages learned to swim in natural lakes and rivers rather than the sea. Heavy rainfall in the winter months gave the islanders more than enough natural water for agriculture and drinking water.
Rainfall data for the past few decades, however, shows that the island is getting drier and the rainy season shorter and more sporadic. A telling table of reservoir water inflow data for the past ten years from the Cyprus Government's Water Development Department shows a huge variation between a peak year of 167.8 million cubic meters (MCM) in 2001/02 and a virtually dry year of just 18.7 MCM in 2007/08.
The latter came after two previous years with lower than average rainfall to satisfy domestic use, which following a study for the Water Department by Savvides, Dorflinger and Alexandrou in October 2001, was calculated at 67.5 MCM. With reservoirs virtually empty, a water crisis ensued that necessitated water being brought to the island from Greece in ships at a huge expense.
Water Conservation
While the Cypriot government has constructed additional dams like the Kannaviou to conserve the precious water that does fall in winter, it has now committed to building desalination plants rather than rely on natural rainfall to satisfy the island’s water demands.
Pro-active steps like water conservation and recycling, however, are largely ignored and the most obvious solution to the water shortage crisis, that of working with the Turks to build a joint pipeline from the Turkish mainland to serve the whole of Cyprus, is shunned for political reasons in this beautiful divided island.
The 2008/9 wet winter has given the island a get-out-of-jail-free card for now but the reservoirs are only 50% full so low rainfall this winter will plunge the island back into crisis again.
Are Desalination Plants the Solution?
Desalination plants will solve the short-term water problem, as did the heavier than average rainfall in the last two years, but the desalination solution may not be sustainable long-term as the plants are powered by oil-fired electricity stations.
A better way would surely be to introduce water conservation schemes and encourage people to recycle water for irrigating crops rather than panic when there’s a dry winter and impose water restrictions. Better still would be to truly educate a nation that doesn’t even realize it has a water crisis on its hands that water is a precious commodity and should be conserved rather than taken for granted.
Water Shortage in Cyprus Could Affect the Rest of Europe
The European Commission is concerned that what has happened in Cyprus could spell the beginnings of a water shortage in many other parts of Europe as climate change makes summers longer and hotter and winters more arid. Following an assessment of water scarcity and droughts in the European Union carried out in 2006/07, the Commission identified several policy options to tackle potential water shortage across Europe in a Communication published in July 2007 (COM/2007/0414/Final).
Measures include putting the right price tag on water and encouraging a water-saving culture which, in a country where washing the dusty streets down on a daily basis is commonplace, could be hard to achieve.
Blog Action Day 2010 is focused on water as a global issue. The example of Cyprus is a stark reminder that drought in the developing world may one day become a harsh reality for many countries in the West.
Related Articles:
Discover the beauty that still remains on the Green Island in Discover Wild Orchids in Cyprus and Best Time for a Nature Walk in Cyprus then start to save water now with these Tips for Saving Water at Home.
Helen Smeaton - Helen Smeaton runs a cycling and hiking business and is also a freelance writer and web designer. Read her profile for more information
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