Water development dept denies it plans to shut off water supply

The water development department has denied that it plans to shut off the mains water supply intermittently as it aims to tackle an ongoing water shortage.

The clarification comes after it had been stated that the island will have 10 per cent less water at its disposal than what it is projected to need, with some having feared that this could mean intermittent cuts to the mains supply.

However, it insisted that this is not the case, stating that it has no plans to implement “a programme of water cuts to households” or only supplying mains water “on specific days or hours”.

“No decision has been made to implement a water supply schedule,” it said.

Earlier, Nicosia district government general manager Constantinos Parmaklis had warned that if the mains water supply were to be cut, pipes may be damaged and leaks may occur.

“To achieve a real reduction through household cuts, the most likely scenario entails an intermittent water supply, which requires shutting down large sections of the network and reducing the flow to zero, which, when normal supply is restored, creates serious damage and causes leaks,” he told television channel Alpha.

His warnings echoed those of former Nicosia water board head Nicos Zambakides.

“Leaks are caused because the system has no pressure, and because of the cuts the water pipes dry up, and when the water valves are turned back on, although the water pressure is minimal, the water gushing through the pipes makes them leak, so we have to be careful with maintaining the pressure when turning the valves on,” he had earlier told the Cyprus Mail.

Earlier this week, agriculture ministry permanent secretary Andreas Gregoriou had warned that the possibility of water cuts is “real”, with the island’s water reserves remaining low.

“We are facing a very difficult year. We cannot continue using water the same way at home and at work,” he had said on Wednesday.

One of the answers is to increase water bill charges for consumers who use too much water.

“The new fees are before the legal service for legal review and then we will proceed with the new increases,” water development department director Iliana Tofa said on Thursday.

“We continue to believe that everyone must understand that they must conserve water.”