Banana farmers in the Paphos district are anxious over the district’s water supply and the impact it may have on their bananas after the draining of the Mavrokolympos reservoir to fix a corroded vent and Cyprus’ driest January since 1997.
The draining of the Mavrokolympos reservoir saw farmers’ water supply cut in half in the affected areas, impacting most of Paphos’ banana farmers. They now say they are struggling to source enough water to irrigate their bananas, with the currently supply not enough to cover their needs.
At a meeting held on Monday night and attended by around 250 people to discuss the matter, farmers warned that should the water supply issues persist, their bananas may not grow enough big enough to be sold. As such, some requested that the government offer them financial assistance to cover their losses.
Paphos banana farmers’ association chairman Moses Peyiotis was one such voice, asking that the government “help us in this effort we are making to cope with the difficult situation we are experiencing”.
“We have been banana farmers for quite some time, and we demand to continue with the quantities of water we have had to this point, so that our crops can survive and bear fruit,” he said.
Paphos district governor Charalambos Pittokopitis also spoke at the meeting, calling on the central government to “support banana farmers and treat them like all other farmers in Paphos and across Cyprus”.
“I understand the critical issues we have seen with the lack of water, but this sector, and especially bananas, must be given special attention by the state,” he said.
Peyia deputy mayor Andreas Christodoulou said Cyprus is suffering from “a year of water scarcity”, and that the draining of the Mavrokolympos reservoir has only compounded this issue.
Meanwhile, Droushia deputy mayor Sotiris Koupparis said banana farmers “appear to be facing a major problem” and that the full extent of the damage caused by the lack of water has not yet been assessed.
He did note that the areas served by the Mavrokolympos dam are also served by Paphos’ district irrigation system, which is connected to the Asprokremmos reservoir, but that the quantities of water available “will be small”.
The Asprokremmos reservoir was at the water development department’s last reading on January 23 only 28.5 per cent full – half the level it was at a year ago.
“If regular irrigation cannot be carried out, the bananas will dry up. Banana cultivation requires a lot of water, and unfortunately, the weather conditions are not helping either,” Koupparis added.
The draining of the Mavrokolympos dam has compounded a worsening water situation in the Paphos district, with reservoirs across the district and the island remaining on average just a quarter full, and this January being Cyprus’ driest since 1997.
Additionally, a desalination plant between the villages of Mandria and Kouklia was completely destroyed in a fire last month, further weakening the district’s water supply.
Governor Pittokopitis had at the end of last month called for two new dams to be built in the district to protect it against future droughts.