Saint Nicholas church in the hills above Limassol, normally submerged in the Kouris Reservoir, offers a stark glimpse of the worsening water crisis in Cyprus. The belfry is fully exposed and the building is surrounded by parched earth.
Lying at the far east of the Mediterranean, Cyprus has always lived with drought. But climate change has turned dry spells into a permanent challenge and authorities are increasingly turning to desalination to meet rising water needs.
Annual rainfall has dropped an estimated 15% in the past 90 years, while temperatures in Nicosia have risen 1.8 degrees Celsius in the past century — double the global average according to official data.
As of September 1, the island’s reservoirs were just 14.7% full.
Demand for water has surged three-fold since 1990 because of population growth and a surge in tourism, leaving Cyprus with a constant water deficit. The country has a population of just under 1 million, and nearly 3 million tourists visit annually.