With little water in the dams and the island facing another winter of drought, time for innovative solutions

With expectations for a fourth winter of drought ahead and the island’s dams at very low capacity, the agriculture ministry said this week it is examining using cloud seeding to help alleviate water scarcity.

The former head of the meteorology department has urged authorities to turn to cloud seeding and the government has said it’s considering it – though how seriously, it’s hard to tell. The technology works, but how effectively is up for debate.

Kleanthis Nicolaides has been doing the media circuit over the past week, lending his voice to the chorus of valid concerns over the water shortage. October has come and gone, with hardly any rainfall.

The situation is genuinely dire, with the island’s dams holding just 11 per cent of capacity overall. And whereas the government does acknowledge the gravity of the situation, it insists that Cyprus will not go without water – desalination will save the day.

Nicolaides says the reservoirs situation is even worse than what the official data shows. He estimates that the number is lower than the 11 per cent cited; the measurements are off because of the accumulation of sediment on the floor of the dams.

In his call to action, the former official proposed various ideas to combat the drought. One example: installing infrastructure to minimise evaporation from the dams.

Each day one centimetre of water is lost from the surface of dams

He says that on average about one centimetre of water is lost to evaporation per day. And this happens every single day, throughout the year.

But this ought to have been done long ago – starting two years ago.

“Now it’s too late, the dams are almost empty,” he told the Cyprus Mail.

Another idea is installing dehumidifiers – both in closed spaces and open-air. Dehumidifiers gather moisture from the atmosphere – especially in the coastal areas where humidity is high.

“Also, what happened to the much-touted scheme for hotels to have their own desalination units? Nothing came of it – only one application filed. And right now only two hotels have their own desalination units.”

He also complains about all the water wasted at car washes – as it’s not getting recycled.

Enter his piece de la resistance – cloud seeding. Nicolaides freely admits he is no expert, nor does he think of the method as a silver bullet. But in these desperate times, he insists the government should explore the option.

Seeding clouds, one method used for weather modification, involves dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei. Common agents include silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice, with hygroscopic materials like table salt gaining popularity due to their ability to attract moisture.

Methods of dispersion include aircraft and ground-based generators, with newer approaches involving drones delivering electric charges to stimulate rainfall, or infrared laser pulses aimed at inducing particle formation.

“Would it be expensive? Probably yes,” Nicolaides went on.

Lack of water means agricultural products will go up in price

“But think of the alternative, far more costly. For instance, how many millions of euro would the Agricultural Payments Organisation (Koap) have to pay out to compensate farmers?”

Another cost will be felt by everyone – prices of agricultural commodities are spiking.

The Water Development Department has sent out a letter advising farmers not to plant seasonal crops. What this means is for example that less lettuce is available – the price will inevitably rise. Also, far fewer potatoes were planted this year than last year – again, constricted supply will drive prices up.

Speaking to other media during the week, Nicolaides cited a Bank of Cyprus report warning that desertification would throttle economic growth.

“So someone in government should sit down and do a cost-benefit analysis. Work out the numbers.”

Nicolaides offers a fascinating nugget of history. He recalls how Cyprus experimented with cloud seeding way back in the early 1970s when the island was in the grip of a drought.

“The government at the time, with the technology then available, considered boosting rainfall. A number of planes flew up and released rain-inducing substances into the atmosphere to seed clouds.

“This was done over a period of a couple of years, newspapers reported on it. They called it ‘pumping the clouds’ back then.”

But the results were never properly assessed – because of the war that broke out in 1974.

Asked for details, Nicolaides outlined what it would take to do cloud seeding.

“You’d need the planes, the plane crews, technicians on board the aircraft, plus teams on the ground monitoring the clouds and the weather. You’d also need experts to assess whether the rainfall was induced by cloud seeding or is naturally occurring.”

A cloud can be several square kilometers in area.

The former weatherman explains that there are certain types of clouds that lead to precipitation, while others don’t.

There is more than one type of cloud

“So you’d have to pick the ‘right’ kind of cloud to seed. A cloud has to be seedable in the first place.”

Also in general, a cloud with precipitation potential must be at least 6,000 feet in depth.

“Plus, you always need a cloud to already be there – you can’t create clouds. So what you’re doing is using artificial means to boost an existing cloud’s potential to release rainfall.”

After seeding, it takes about 15 minutes to produce rain – if the operation is successful and if the right type of cloud has been seeded.

“For Cyprus, a small country, you wouldn’t in fact need many planes operating – maybe one or two. These are usually turboprop, dual-engine aircraft. They’re fitted with flares which release the rain-inducing substances, while the aircraft flies perpendicular to the cloud.”

Responding to a question, Nicolaides said he has no connection whatsoever to any company or business interests.

“I’m retired, simply a concerned citizen making proposals.”

The official said a private company, contracted with the government, would undertake cloud seeding. That’s because the government lacks the technical know-how.

Earlier media reports said that one Cyprus-based outfit did approach the government this year, offering to seed the clouds. Information online hinted that the company might be connected to the Caramondani Group – a leading engineering and construction contractor with experience in water-related infrastructures.

We contacted Stavros Caramondanis, the CEO of the group.

He said his company never approached the government.

“At any rate,” he added, “we don’t believe in cloud seeding, we don’t think the technology is proven.”

Still, it turns out that not one, but two private companies did make overtures to the government. This was confirmed to the Cyprus Mail by Philippos Tymvios, current director at the meteorology department.

Tymvios said two Cyprus-based outfits submitted proposals for the application of cloud seeding technologies. This happened between mid-2024 and early 2025, he added.

“In parallel, other companies have submitted proposals exploring alternative methods to enhance rainfall in Cyprus. While indicative cost estimates were provided in some cases, such financial and technical details are not considered matters of public concern at this stage, as no contractual engagement has been made,” said the Met boss.

“All proposals are being reviewed carefully, with the guidance of independent scientific experts, and no decision will be taken without proper technical validation and transparency.”

Asked directly if authorities are considering cloud seeding, Tymvios said his department is “closely monitoring international developments related to weather modification technologies, including cloud seeding.

“In light of the increasing frequency of drought conditions and long-term water scarcity in Cyprus, all scientifically credible and environmentally responsible options are being considered as part of the government’s climate adaptation and water resilience planning.”

The meteorology department has “initiated exploratory contacts with countries that have substantial experience in cloud seeding, such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates, with a view to understanding best practices, lessons learned, and potential collaboration on scientific evaluation.”

But “at this stage, no operational cloud seeding programme is in place in Cyprus, and no formal decision has been made regarding its deployment. Any future initiative would be based on robust scientific evidence, independent oversight, and full alignment with public interest safeguards.”

So the government has looked into it – but how seriously is anyone’s guess.

Meanwhile the jury is still out on how impactful cloud seeding is.

A study conducted by the United States National Academy of Sciences failed to find statistically significant support for cloud seeding’s effectiveness.

A 2010 Tel Aviv University study claimed that the common practice of cloud seeding to improve rainfall, with materials such as silver iodide and frozen carbon dioxide, seems to have little if any impact on the amount of precipitation.

The debate rages on. And as Nicolaides points out, some 40 countries worldwide have engaged in cloud seeding.

Nicolaides explained that in the past – when the dams held considerable water – most of the water supply in the grid came from dams and boreholes. The water was treated at facilities and then diverted into the grid.

Now, with the dams empty, water comes only from desalination and boreholes. And the water from the dams goes only to agriculture/irrigation.

“The water that we drink and shower with comes only from desalination. And desalination is no fix-all.”