In what is being considered alarming news as regards availability of natural resources in Cyprus, water reserves in reservoirs in the country have been found to stand at 14.6% of its total capacity, plummeting down further from last year’s 20%.
The finding sparked several discussions at the House agriculture committee, with the chairman Akel MP Andreas Kakalias concluding that such a situation has arisen primarily due to the fact that the water management system of the island country is riddled with problems. He also added that the island country currently lacks a holistic approach which will properly solve the issue.
In response to the situation, the House agriculture committee raised the issue of implementing a uniform pricing policy for water charges, emphasizing that special tariffs should be there in place to cater to livestock and farming needs, which do not exist at the current moment. With livestock areas being billed the way households are, farmers are facing immense difficulties in coping with high charges. Kakalias responded to the issue by having the agriculture committee request relevant ministries to take a look at the issue and subsequently formulate a farm-specific tariff.
Another issue that was addressed at the committee was that of the Limassol water board’s debts. Kakalias assured the people that he will have the relevant authorities look into the matter and solve the problem as soon as possible.
