Despite a 33.9 per cent increase in dam capacity, authorities are urging the public to use water cautiously, water development department (WDD) chief technical engineer Marios Hadjicostis said on Monday.

“We are in a much better position than last year, but not in a position to be carefree in the coming years,” he said.

According to Hadjicostis, current water storage stands at 98.7 million cubic metres, of which 3.75 million cubic metres were added by rainfall over the past three days.

He said total inflow since October 2025 has reached 81 million cubic metres, with the highest monthly inflow recorded in March.

“A very rare phenomenon,” he noted.

Current water levels represent a 9.8 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, when reserves stood at 24.1 per cent, or 70 million cubic metres.

However, Hadjicostis stressed the need for continued caution.

“We must always be very careful with the use of water,” he said, warning that droughts are becoming more frequent and are expected to intensify in the future.

“This year we were lucky,” he added, describing this winter’s inflows as “life-saving.”