Cyprus Mail 13 January 2020 - article by Jonathan Shkurko
Despite the heavy rains that have hit Cyprus recently, the village of Pissouri, located in the Limassol district, has been without water for the past week after pipes supplying residents ruptured again.
Pissouri community leader Lazaros Lazarou described the situation as critical.
“This is a proper emergency,” he told Cyprus Mail. “We have water being transported to the village in tanker trucks, but it only covers a fraction of the community’s requirements.”
“The pipes are old and faulty and need to be properly repaired, it’s been years, we need a permanent solution, we cannot keep patching things up and sweeping it under a rug hoping the issue will solve itself.”
Lazarou said he asked the Ministry of Agriculture to call a meeting and find a solution to the issue.
“I have spoken to Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis and he promised me he will hold an emergency meeting this week. We had the same problems last year, but this year it was worse.
“The exceptional amount of rain fallen in the country has probably damaged the pipes for good. Unless we are taken seriously, we will be in a very difficult position.”
Lazarou, however, reassured concerned residents that there was no problem with the school’s water as it was supplied using tankers and it will remain open for the rest of the week.
Meanwhile, locals have taken to social media to complain about the situation.
“The situation is very serious,”a Facebook user wrote on the page I Love Pissouri.
“The pipes are old and damaged, and nothing has been done to address the situation properly so far.”
Another user urged the government to find a solution as soon as possible.
“If the problems persist, we will end up alone, with no tourists and no visitors.
“Families are already leaving the village and moving to better places with water, electricity and proper roads, not sinking houses,” the user said, in reference to landslides that have damaged many homes in the area.
“We cannot even shower. There is water everywhere in Cyprus, except for our houses. There are people who want to give their children a bath and they cannot…in 2020!”
