About Kouris Dam

Kouris is the largest dam in Cyprus, located in the Limassol district on the Kouris River. Completed in 1988 after several years of construction, its 115 MCM capacity makes it the undisputed backbone of the island's water supply infrastructure. The earth-fill dam stands 110 metres tall amid the Troodos foothills, a commanding structure that took on an outsized importance almost immediately after it filled for the first time. The greater Limassol area — Cyprus's second-largest city and a major tourist hub — depends heavily on Kouris for its drinking water, and the dam also feeds the Southern Conveyor Project, the trans-island pipeline that redistributes water from the wetter west to the drier east. The Kouris River catchment spans the southern slopes of the Troodos massif, capturing rainfall from elevations above 1,500 metres where winter snowpack and orographic precipitation are most reliable. This gives Kouris a larger and more dependable hydrological regime than most other Cypriot reservoirs. During the severe drought of the early 2000s, Kouris dropped to critically low levels — below 5% capacity — prompting emergency desalination contracts and accelerated investment in water recycling. That crisis permanently changed how the Water Development Department managed the reservoir, introducing more conservative drawdown policies and stricter demand-side controls. In wetter years, such as 2018-2019, Kouris has overflowed its spillway — a sight that briefly makes national news and reassures a population acutely aware of water scarcity. Its reservoir levels are widely regarded as a barometer for the island's overall water security. When Kouris is healthy, Cyprus breathes easier; when it runs low, the pressure on desalination plants and public consumption habits intensifies sharply.