1.
GV PAN over dried up dam at Athalassa
0.11

2.
VU Water gauge showing dried-up bed (2 shots)
0.19

3.
SCU Dried-up bed and GV (2 shots)
0.27

4.
GV Dam at Prodrome village with some water left
0.40

5.
SV & CU water meters showing low level of water
0.45

6.
GV Orange trees turning brown through lack of water (2 shots)
0.56

7.
SV Farmer attaching hose to water tank
1.04

8.
CU Dried up earth around trea
1.07

9.
SV Farmer watering young trees
1.14

10.
GV Dead trees
1.17

11.
SV & CU Plants shrivelling through lack of water
1.25

12.
GV & CU apple trees apples small (2 shots)
1.31

13.
SV Farmer watering trees
1.36

14.
SV Water in irrigation trench, earth dry
1.41

15.
GV & SV Water officials watering crops (3 shots)
1.57

16.
SV People ien village waiting to collect water
2.02

17.
V Woman takes bucket to tap and finds water has been turned off (3 shots)
2.10

18.
CU Road sign
2.13

19.
SV Water tanker along road to village
2.29



Initials AE/1734 ES 1734



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The severe drought in Cyprus, which has already cost the loss of the winter grain crop will cost the Cyprus economy more than GBP20 million sterling this year (52 million U.S. dollars), according to Government planners.

Much of the summer vegetable harvest, the bulk of which goes to Britain, will also be lost.

Many reservoirs are completely dry and Nicosia and other towns have been severely rationing domestic water supplies for the past two months. In Nicosia, consumers are getting piped water supplies only every second day and at Larnaca on the south coast, water is available for only four hours daily.

Cyprus has 38 reservoirs to store and supply water in the island. Of these 23 are already completely dry and in the rest the water level is very low.

Many fruit growers are also badly affected. The leaves of the orange trees have turned yellow and the oranges themselves are small and dry. Many farmers are having to buy water from those who have dug deep wells and installed motor pumps to bring the water to the surface.

Water is carried to the remoter villages by water tanker.

The Cyprus Government is giving relief payments totalling more than four million sterling (10 1/2 million US dollars) to farmers who have lost their corps through drought.

The Government has also taken preliminary decisions to establish a series of desalination plants to supply towns with processed sea water.

Many countries have been hit by rainfall shortages in recent months and some scientists believe it is the beginning of a global change of climate at least in the northern hemisphere.