Cyprus suffers from a chronic shortage of water. The country relies heavily on rain to provide household water, but in the past 30 years average yearly precipitation has decreased. Between 2001 and 2004, exceptionally heavy annual rainfall pushed water reserves up, with supply exceeding demand, allowing total storage in the island's reservoirs to rise to an all-time high by the start of 2005. However, since then demand has increased annually – a result of local population growth, foreigners moving to Cyprus and the number of visiting tourists – while supply has fallen as a result of more frequent droughts.
When did Cyprus receive enough rainfall to fill up their water reserves? What do people living in Cyprus rely on for household water? Why has the water supply shrunk in previous years? What resource is scarce on Cyprus? Why has demand for water increased annually on Cyprus?