WATER CRISIS: VILLAGES HIT

WATER supply to thousands of homes and businesses, from Tepebaşı to Kaplıca, was returning to normal yesterday after pipes carrying the supply from Turkey split under pressure, leaving them with dwindling or no water for days.

Girne Water Department area manager Cenk Şekeroğlu confirmed the problem with land-based mains taking the supply fed through an undersea pipeline from southern Turkey.

He said yesterday: “We haven’t slept for a week, but we will tonight as it was fixed on Thursday morning. The North Coast main, which is 1.5 metres in diameter, split [on Sunday] due to the pressure

“Normal supply resumed this morning [Friday] but customers should be aware that the whole system and many water tanks are completely empty, so some tanks will fill slowly.”

Water tankers supplying groundwater were fully booked for days by desperate restaurant-, business- and home-owners in Girne and surrounding areas.

Karşıyaka resident Greg Standring said: “Lapta Municipality has been superb at keeping everyone informed on social media in English and Russian and the new mayor always answers questions. You may not like the answers, but you do get one and it’s correct.

“We were told to be careful and sparing and we managed.”

Karşıyaka residents said water supplies had resumed sporadically as the municipality raced to fix the problem, although initial re-supply was orange in colour despite good pressure and later failed again.

An initial announcement on Wednesday that supply had resumed was later corrected when the problem recurred.

Girne residents were warned to

economise but the municipality complaints desk was swamped with angry callers after officials initially warned residents that water would be supplied area by area at seven-day intervals.

A spokesman said: “It’s been very hard and we have had to cope with a lot of abusive phone calls. I have been shouted at all week and called a cheat and a liar and lots more. The phones haven’t stopped ringing but our social media bulletins have helped.”

Lapta Municipality director Hasan Keleş said yesterday: “We haven’t had much sleep either but began to supply water today. A specialist firm came to fix the Turkish water main which burst near to the Geçitköy reservoir.

“There is a slight problem in Çamlıbel but we will supply them with water tonight.”