COMMISSIONER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT - 'ABUNDANT RAINS IN MARCH ARE A JOYFUL EVENT - EXPECTED IN APRIL AS WELL' -Filenews 28/3
A project of paramount importance was the construction of dams in Cyprus, said Commissioner for Environment and Animal Welfare Antonia Theodosiou. As Mrs. Theodosiou told KYPE, Cyprus is one of the first countries in the world in overflowing dams.
The dams, together with the proper management of water, the savings with the right systems, the infrastructure in the buildings, the modernized and smart water supply and irrigation networks and the adapted crops, it is achieved that water is not wasted, which is very important, especially in areas such as Cyprus that are affected by long periods of low rainfall, she stressed.
Water has become a commodity that is in global shortage, which is why, as he said, many have been talking about the "water wars" for two decades. We have, he continued, first the issue of proper management and attention to water waste. Mrs. Theodosiou then referred to the importance of water storage, noting that we have not been able to resolve the issue of evaporation from the dams.
Mrs. Theodosiou then stated that it is joyful that we had these abundant rains in March, while they are expected in April as well. The correct design of the dams is that they also leave a flow to the sea, because the ecosystem of the sea also needs its enrichment with fresh water, she said.
At the same time, she stressed that we should not rest on the rains, which is why at the same time "we give weight to desalination, saying that this should also be done very sparingly".
She also pointed out that the Eastern Mediterranean is characterized by the large construction of dams and especially after the construction of the Aswan dam in Egypt, when a large flow of water to the sea was cut off, our sea has this crystal clear appearance. She also pointed out that the high dam of Aswan in southern Egypt, completed in 1970 with Soviet help, is a huge 3.26 km technical project. and created Lake Nasser to control the floods of the Nile.
CNA
