Nicosia Plans to Build Two New Reservoirs

Nicosia may soon see the construction of two new reservoirs—one in the northern part of the city and the other in the south.

In an interview with the Tak news agency, Mehmet Harmancı, the mayor of the Turkish Municipality of Nicosia, revealed plans for the project, which is being developed in collaboration with the European Union. The mayor of southern Nicosia, Haralambos Pruncos, has also shown interest in the initiative.

However, for the project to move forward, it requires approval from both community leaders—Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

Harmancı also pointed out a key challenge: while the southern municipality receives financial support from the Cypriot government to implement such projects, no similar incentives exist for the north.

The urgency of the project is heightened by the island’s worsening drought. January 2025 was one of the driest months on record, and reservoirs on both sides are facing severe shortages. The latest data shows they are only 26% full, compared to 47.4% at the same time last year.

The situation is particularly dire in some areas. The Mavrokolympos Reservoir in Paphos had to be drained after a leak was discovered, while in the north, the Kioneli Reservoir dries up completely every summer. Water demand in northern Cyprus is almost entirely met by an underwater pipeline from Turkey.