In January 2020, the Cyprus Mail published a statement from the British Bases saying the flooding Kouris river had threatened a desalination plant. Water spilling from the Kouris Dam raised the river to three metres in places. The plant's general manager alerted the Sovereign Base Areas Police, who led 17 staff to safety through a previously unused rear exit. Within 20 minutes, two excavators were diverting the river. As a result, the large stock of chloride held on site did not reach the sea, and damage stayed limited.
The report showed that coastal desalination plants could also be put at risk by floods from inland. Besides the staff, the main hazard was to the stored process chemicals and thus to the sea.
Source: Cyprus Mail (Kopie im Webarchiv)