Author(s): Sarah Eisenreich; Constantinos F. Panagiotou; Tiago Martins; Olga Barouta; Stelios Neophytides; Marinos Stylianou; Catalin Stefan

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Abstract: Cyprus is an island located at the eastern part of the Mediterranean basin, characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions and limited freshwater resources. Combined with the over-exploitation of these resources due to the increasing water consumption among the different sectors, Cyprus possesses the highest Water Exploitation Index among the European countries. Excessive amounts of freshwater are abstracted from the groundwater systems to satisfy the water demand, which are continuously deteriorating in terms of quantity and quality. Coastal aquifers in Cyprus are prone to seawater intrusion due to the inadequate replacement of the abstracted water amounts, urging the national authorities to design water management plans that aim on their gradual restoration. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is an environmentally sustainable technology that is currently applied in Cyprus for mitigating the pollution of coastal aquifers due to seawater intrusion. Particularly, treated wastewater is transferred from the exit of wastewater treatment plant stations to recharge ponds through pipeline networks, from where it percolates the unsaturated soil layer until it reaches the aquatic system. This study focuses on the identification of regions within Cyprus which are feasible for MAR via participative multi-criteria decision analysis.

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Year: 2024