Securing Potable Water Supply under Extreme Scarcity : Lessons and Perspectives from the Republic of Cyprus

Cyprus is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Starting in 1960, massive dam development was carried out under the motto “not a drop of water lost to the sea.” This supply-side policy proved its limit after two major droughts hit the island in 1997-2000 and 2008-09. This pushed for the massive development of seawater desalination and wastewater reuse through public-private partnership schemes. As of 2018, the Republic of Cyprus has successfully achieved potable water security—a remarkable achievement for one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Despite these worthy successes, Cyprus still faces several important remaining challenges to move toward fully sustainable water management: (i) focusing on demand management, (ii) modernizing the financial and institutional framework, (iii) complying with the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, and (iv) developing a sustainable strategy for irrigated agriculture.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marin, Philippe, Charalambous, Bambos, Davy, Thierry
Format: Working Paper biblioteca
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2018-06
Subjects:WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, WATER DEMAND, INSTITUTIONS, URBAN WASTEWATER, WATER TREATMENT, WATER SCARCITY, DRINKING WATER, WATER SUPPLY, DESALINATION, IRRIGATION,
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/166941539893383666/Securing-Potable-Water-Supply-under-Extreme-Scarcity-Lessons-and-Perspectives-from-the-Republic-of-Cyprus
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/30593
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