Cyprus’ Water Development Department and the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research have said that recent public concerns about rainwater reaching the sea instead of being captured in dams reflect a misunderstanding of how natural water systems function.
In a joint statement, the departments said freshwater outflow into the sea is not “lost,” but an essential part of the hydrological and ecological cycle.
River discharge, they noted, helps replenish coastal and underground aquifers and creates a natural barrier that prevents seawater intrusion.
They said dams remain an important tool for water management, but attempting to retain all rainfall would disrupt river ecosystems, reduce sediment transport and harm biodiversity upstream and downstream.
Many wetlands and habitats depend on natural flows to maintain their structure and function.
The statement also cited the EU Water Framework Directive, which requires member states to maintain sufficient natural river flow to ensure good ecological status.
Cyprus currently has 110 dams, 56 of them classified as large, with a combined capacity of about 335 million cubic meters — the highest ratio of dams to population in Europe.
Existing infrastructure already captures a significant share of rainfall, the departments said.
