O zaporze Pomos

Pomos dam sits on the north-western coast of Cyprus in the Paphos district, near the traditional fishing village of Pomos — one of the most remote and least developed stretches of the Cyprus coastline. Completed in 1967 with a capacity of 0.86 MCM, it is among the smallest reservoirs in the national system, built in the same first generation of post-independence infrastructure investment that produced Argaka and Polemidia in the same period. The earth-fill dam captures runoff from the steep north-facing Troodos slopes above the coast, a zone where the terrain drops sharply from forested mountain ridges to a narrow coastal strip with virtually no flat land between. This dramatic topography concentrates runoff rapidly after rainfall events, sending short but intense pulses of water down the steep stream channels into the reservoir. The north-western coastal strip around Pomos receives a distinctive rainfall pattern: exposed to northerly and north-westerly winds in winter, the area catches frontal rainfall that other parts of the Paphos district in the rain shadow of the main Troodos ridge may miss. Pomos supports local agriculture along the narrow coastal strip, including the small-scale citrus, grape, and olive cultivation that characterises the village economies of this remote region. The ecological surroundings of the dam have gained recognition in recent years: the coastline near Pomos is one of the last undeveloped stretches of the northern Paphos coast, and the combination of forested slopes, rocky shoreline, and the reservoir's freshwater habitat supports a locally diverse fauna. The area around Pomos remains one of the most authentic rural landscapes in Cyprus, little changed from the pre-tourism era.