Management of groundwater resources in Cyprus harmonisation with the EU Water Framework Directive'

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Management of groundwater resources in Cyprus -
harmonisation with the EU Water Framework
Directive.

• CHARLES DEMETRIOU
• Water Development Department, CYPRUS

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OUTLINE

• Present status of water resources in Cyprus
• State of the major aquifers
• Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC
• Implementation in Cyprus
• CONCLUSIONS

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• Groundwater resources in Cyprus are overexploited
  by about forty percent of sustainable extraction.
• Some of the coastal aquifers show water levels
  below sea level. This is the result from frequent
  and long lasting droughts over the last decades.

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• The overpumping, lead to seawater intrusion.
• To rehabilitate these aquifers, a lot of years of
  very careful management are required.
• Examples of overpumping and seawater intrusion in
  coastal aquifers.
• Typical ones are the aquifers of Morfou,
  Kokkinochoria, Kiti-Pervolia, and Akrotiri.

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• The rainfall for the period 1970  2000, shows a
  serious drop in the order of 20. shows a step
  change around 1970.
• The decreased rainfall caused reduction in the
  flow of rivers, and naturally in the surge of
  water in our dams, to the order 40. ?More Stress
  in the aquifers
• Last two years the hydro-meteorological
  conditions were good

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 THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE 2000/60/EC AND
CYPRUS

• What is about ??
• An action plan has been prepared.
• More importance was given at the initial stages
  of the implementation plans of the Directive,
  which are considered critical and decisive.
• The Cyprus legislation was harmonised with the
  requirements of the Directive by enacting a new
  bill. The bill was passed by the parliament on
  February 2004.

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Problems on Implementing the Water Framework
Directive

•  The lack of an integrated rationally organised
  national network for data collection.
•  The database for storing and analysing
  information is at its initial stages with many
  teething problems. Much of the information
  collected over the years is still in paper form.
• The lack of water quality data, especially
  chemical analysis information other than ionic.

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• The difficulty on co-ordination between the
  responsible authorities and all the involved
  institutions.
•         The points of pressure were not
  monitored in a systematic way and also are not
  geo-referenced.
•         The lack on specialised expertise and
  suitable human potential. The mentality of users
  of water.
•         The high cost of implementation.

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•   The division of responsibility on water
  management and the lack of a single authority
  responsible for it.
•         Difficulties associated with the
  extended periods of low rainfalls observed in
  Cyprus in the last decades.
•         Difficulties arising from the fact that
  the Directive is more focused on the big river
  basins of Europe.

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CONCLUSIONS

• Almost all the aquifers are over-pumped
• Within WFD, River basin management plans will be
  developed
• best economic way for supplying water is to save
  water though better water management.
• WFD for Cyprus will create the essential
  conditions for the support of policy that will
  lead in the satisfactory and effective protection
  of all waters and develop a rational management
  and exploitation of our precious water resources.

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• THANK YOU