Which Cyprus Dam Is Emptying Fastest?

Not all Cyprus dams are draining at the same rate. While the island's overall reservoir system sits at around 14% capacity, some dams have fallen much harder than others. By looking at the rate of change rather than just the current level, we can identify which catchments are under the greatest pressure — and which offer a glimmer of resilience.

The big reservoirs: where most of the water is

The five largest dams — Kouris (115 MCM), Asprokremmos (52 MCM), Evretou (24 MCM), Kannaviou (17.2 MCM), and Kalavasos (17.1 MCM) — together account for over 70% of the island's total dam capacity. Their trajectories dominate the national picture.

Kouris has been the most dramatic story. As the single largest reservoir, every percentage point it loses translates to roughly 1.15 MCM of water — more than the entire capacity of several smaller dams. Its decline has been steep and steady, with virtually no recovery during what should have been the wet season. The Kouris catchment in the central Troodos receives less rainfall than the western slopes, and evaporation from the large reservoir surface compounds the losses.

Asprokremmos in the Paphos district has followed a similar downward trend, though its western location gives it slightly better exposure to the prevailing weather systems that bring rain from the Mediterranean. When storms do arrive, Asprokremmos tends to capture more runoff than the eastern catchments.

Mid-size dams: mixed signals

The mid-tier reservoirs tell a more varied story. Evretou, fed by the Stavros tis Psokas River in the western Troodos, has historically been one of the more resilient dams due to its position in one of the island's wetter catchments. Even so, the current drought has pushed it well below normal levels.

Dipotamos and Lefkara, which sit in the Larnaca district rain shadow east of the Troodos, have been among the fastest to empty. Their catchments receive less rainfall than the western slopes, and the gentle terrain means less runoff reaches the reservoirs even when it does rain.

Germasoyeia, close to Limassol, has shown a relatively moderate decline. Its proximity to the coast and the urban heat island effect mean higher evaporation, but its small, steep catchment responds quickly when rain does fall.

Small dams: volatile but insignificant

The smallest dams — Kalopanagiotis (0.36 MCM), Pomos (0.86 MCM), Argaka (0.99 MCM) — are the most volatile. They can swing from near-empty to overflowing after a single storm, and back to empty within weeks of dry weather. Their contribution to the national total is negligible, but they matter enormously to the local farming communities that depend on them.

Vyzakia in the Morphou plain and Xyliatos in the Troodos are similarly small and sensitive. During a drought this severe, they are essentially empty and provide no meaningful supply buffer.

What drives the differences?

Several factors determine how fast a dam empties:

1. Catchment rainfall: Western Troodos catchments (Evretou, Kannaviou, Asprokremmos) receive more rain than eastern ones (Dipotamos, Lefkara).
2. Reservoir surface area: Larger surface areas mean more evaporation. Kouris loses significant water to evaporation alone during summer months.
3. Extraction rate: Dams feeding major population centres (Kouris for Limassol, Asprokremmos for Paphos) face higher extraction demands.
4. Geology: Permeable limestone catchments lose more water to underground seepage than impermeable igneous rock formations in the Troodos core.

Tracking the trends

The best way to understand these dynamics is to look at the historical charts for each dam on Nero. You can see multi-year trends that reveal whether a dam's current level is part of a long-term decline or a seasonal fluctuation.

Visit the Nero dashboard to see the full picture, or explore individual dams like Kouris, Asprokremmos, and Evretou for detailed year-on-year comparisons.

Data sourced from the Water Development Department of Cyprus. Updated every 6 hours.