Athens/Nicosia - The drought-stricken island of Cyprus
welcomed its first rain storm in recent months Wednesday which ended
up causing flooding to many parts of the eastern Mediterranean
island.
Heavy storms forced the closure of two main roads in the capital
Nicosia and emergency crews were called in to evacuate more than 300
homes due to heavy flooding.
Cyprus, which is heavily reliant on rainfall for water supplies,
is suffering one of the worst droughts and water shortages in the
past 100 years.
The island's reservoirs have reached dangerously low levels and
its two desalination plants are unable to keep up with industry and
the household demand of more than 800,000 people as well as tens of
thousands of visitors at the height of the tourist season.
In March, the drought forced authorities to impose emergency
measures which include cutting household water supply by 30 per cent
in an effort to tackle the shortage.
The agriculture ministry said that the island's water shortage
problem was estimated at 16 million cubic metres and could end up
costing the government some 40 million euros (63 million dollars).
Greece has agreed to sell 8 million cubic metres of water to
Cyprus by November 15.
The Mediterranean island's 109 reservoirs are only 6 per cent
full, containing 19.7 million cubic metres of water and Cyprus'
largest dam, the Kouri, is expected to run dry in the next few
months, according to the most recent data.
According to official statistics, rainfall in Cyprus has dropped
by about 20 per cent over the past 35 years and unseasonal weather
has seen temperatures rising above 30 degrees Celsius.
Across the island, water is being pumped out of the ground at an
unsustainable pace, but many boreholes supplying communities have
been shut down because they are at risk of seawater contamination.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story