Asprokremmos Dam

Asprokremmos Dam is the second-largest reservoir in Cyprus, impounding the Xeros river (also known as the Xeropotamos) east of Paphos. Completed in 1982, it is a 53-metre earthfill embankment with a total capacity of roughly 52 million cubic metres — a scale exceeded on the island only by Kouris. The dam anchors the water supply of the Paphos district, storing winter runoff for potable use and for the irrigation networks of the surrounding coastal plain.

Beyond its engineering role, the reservoir has become a landscape feature in its own right. The abandoned village of Finikas lies beside its shores, and the open water and surrounding scrub have developed into an important wetland for endemic and migratory birds, making Asprokremmos one of the best-known birdwatching sites in western Cyprus.

Because rainfall in the Paphos region is modest and erratic, the dam filling to the brim is a genuinely rare event. After spilling in 2004 the reservoir stayed below its crest for eight years, then overflowed again in 2012, 2019 and 2020 — a rhythm that neatly captures the drought-and-deluge character of Cyprus hydrology. Long stretches of gradual drawdown punctuated by sudden wet-winter recoveries are written across its entire operating history, which is why Asprokremmos is often treated as a barometer for the water security of the whole Paphos region.