On 21 October 2026, the Nicosia district local government organisation reported that non-charged water use had fallen to 22 per cent, below Cyprus’s 33 per cent average and the European average of 25 per cent, while advancing smart-meter installation, reservoir construction and treated-wastewater recovery efforts. Cyprus Mail
District governor Constantinos Yiorkadjis made the announcement while marking two and a half years of the organisation, calling the result a major achievement for a water-scarce country. Cyprus Mail
Key takeaways
- Nicosia’s non-charged water use has fallen to 22 per cent, compared with a Cyprus average of 33 per cent and a European average of 25 per cent. Cyprus Mail
- The district’s three wastewater treatment plants produce nearly 50,000 cubic metres of treated water daily for irrigation, but only around 24 per cent is currently used. Cyprus Mail
- Contractors were repairing a collapsed sewage pipeline and installing a return pipeline to recover treated wastewater from the Mia Milia treatment plant in the occupied north. Cyprus Mail
- Installation of 72,000 smart water meters is under way, with 1,836 already operational, while four new reservoirs have increased reserve coverage in certain areas from 36 to 44 hours. Cyprus Mail
What happened
Yiorkadjis said non-charged water includes losses through leaks, and reported that Nicosia accounts for approximately 40 per cent of national water use. He estimated that the district’s performance against the national average represented 14 million cubic metres of water saved annually, with approximately 27 million cubic metres flowing through district networks each year. Cyprus Mail
The district is installing 72,000 smart water meters, of which 1,836 are operational, and has constructed four reservoirs that increased water-supply reserves in certain Nicosia areas from 36 to 44 hours, providing additional repair time when service is interrupted. Cyprus Mail
On wastewater reuse, contractors were working inside the buffer zone beneath Turkish military observation posts to repair a sewage pipeline that collapsed approximately 18 months earlier and install a return pipeline. The work is intended to recover part of the treated water produced at the Mia Milia plant, according to Yiorkadjis. Cyprus Mail
“Contractors were currently working inside the buffer zone, beneath Turkish military observation posts, to repair a sewage pipeline that collapsed approximately 18 months ago and install a return pipeline,” Yiorkadjis said. Cyprus Mail
Meanwhile, the district’s three wastewater treatment plants produce nearly 50,000 cubic metres of treated water daily for irrigation, although only around 24 per cent is currently utilised. Cyprus Mail
Specification read
The reported irrigation-reuse output is nearly 50,000 cubic metres per day, equivalent to approximately 50 ML/day, while the proportion currently utilised is around 24 per cent. The source did not report a population-equivalent loading, design-capacity figure, expansion capacity, or detailed influent and effluent data, so a population served or treatment-class range cannot be established from the available information. Cyprus Mail
For a conventional municipal treatment train, the reported system bears on the downstream reuse stage: screening, primary clarification, biological treatment such as A2O, MBR, MBBR, SBR or UASB, and tertiary treatment or disinfection, with DAF or ZLD only where the project specification requires it. The event concerns the recovery and use of already-treated water, the installation of the return pipeline and the network measures intended to raise utilisation from around 24 per cent. Cyprus Mail
If your plant looks like a municipal reuse system with roughly 50,000 m³/day of reported treated-water output, measurable irrigation demand, pipeline-access constraints and compliance pressure on water reuse, this is what it means for you: storage, pumping, distribution and off-take arrangements must be sized around actual reuse demand, not just treatment-plant output. Operators can compare the reported reuse context with further guidance on municipal wastewater systems and domestic sewage treatment in Jinja.
The report gives no treatment-process tender value, procurement timetable, performance guarantees, flow-measurement results or pipeline-construction cost. It also does not provide the hydraulic or contaminant-loading inputs needed to select a process scale or calculate a plant’s population equivalent. Those parameters would therefore need to be established during technical scoping rather than inferred from the district’s total treated-water output.
FAQ
What is the reported treated-water output of Nicosia’s wastewater plants?
The district’s three wastewater treatment plants produce nearly 50,000 cubic metres of treated water daily for irrigation, but only around 24 per cent is currently utilised. The reported production is therefore approximately 50 ML/day, although the source does not state design capacity or a population-equivalent loading. Cyprus Mail
What work is being undertaken to expand treated-wastewater reuse?
Contractors are repairing a sewage pipeline that collapsed approximately 18 months ago and installing a return pipeline intended to recover part of the treated water produced at the Mia Milia plant. The work is taking place inside the buffer zone beneath Turkish military observation posts; no contract value or completion date was reported. Cyprus Mail
How much will the sewerage charge raise for flood prevention?
An additional charge of 0.05 per thousand on sewerage bills is expected to generate between €2 million and €2.5 million annually. The funds are intended for annual repair and construction of flood-protection projects, while work has begun on the enclosed Kotsirkas river channel and further projects are planned. Cyprus Mail
What information is needed before selecting wastewater-reuse equipment?
Before equipment selection, a buyer would need confirmed reuse flow, storage and pumping requirements, pipeline-access details, and applicable effluent and irrigation-water quality limits. The source reports nearly 50,000 cubic metres of daily treated-water production and around 24 per cent utilisation, but it does not provide population-equivalent loading, detailed water-quality data, procurement cost or delivery lead time. Cyprus Mail
