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Associate Professor Alexandros Stefanakis of the School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the Technical University of Crete participated as an invited speaker at Cyprus Forum 2026, a major public dialogue platform in Cyprus that brings together representatives of government, academia, civil society, and the business community to discuss critical public policy issues.
Professor Alexandros Stefanakis took part in the thematic discussion entitled “A National Water Strategy for Cyprus: From Emergency Measures to Accountable Delivery,” which focused on the challenges and priorities involved in developing a modern and resilient National Water Strategy for Cyprus.
In his contribution, he stressed that addressing water scarcity is not solely a matter of securing additional water supplies, but requires a different approach to managing every available water resource. Particular emphasis was placed on decentralized water treatment and reuse, Nature-Based Solutions, the higher-value utilization of treated wastewater, and the “fit-for-purpose” principle, according to which the quality of treated water is tailored to the actual requirements of its intended end use.
The discussion also highlighted opportunities for using alternative water resources in irrigation, hydroponics, the tourism sector, urban green spaces, and sports facilities, as well as the need to integrate decentralized and nature-based systems into a broader model of circular and resilient water management.
During his presentation, Professor A. Stefanakis emphasized that for countries and island regions facing significant water stress, such as Cyprus, the challenge is not only to answer the question, “Where will the next cubic metre of water come from?”, but also to consider how we can create greater value from every cubic metre of water already available to us.
Participation in the Cyprus Forum highlighted the contribution of the research and expertise developed at the Technical University of Crete to the public dialogue on sustainable water resources management and adaptation to climate change.
