“WE CAN SHARE WATER WITH THE SOUTH”
PRESIDENT Ersin Tatar visited the Geçitköy Dam and purification plant on World Water Day, where he said that he had been dreaming about water coming from Turkey since his childhood.
“Many couldn’t see it, but we saw it,” he said, referring to the “Project of the Century” pipeline providing water to North Cyprus from Anamur, in Mersin, Turkey.
Three villages had to be submerged for the construction of the Alaköprü Dam in Mersin to supply the TRNC with water.
“Nobody is offended due to the deep-rooted emotional ties between the two countries,” the President noted while thanking the people of Anamur.
Mr Tatar said that even those who were initially opposed to the pipeline were up in arms when it snapped last year. He noted that six ships worked to fix the fault and eventually succeeded on October 6.
A water tunnel project for Güzelyurt, which is under construction, will end the “saline water problem in the region” the President added.
“This water [from Turkey] can be shared with South Cyprus in the event of any agreement [on the island], as has been announced before but remains as an unanswered suggestion,” Mr Tatar said.
Ali Murat Başçeri, Turkey’s ambassador to Lefkoşa, accompanied Mr Tatar on his visit and also made a speech.
Mr Başçeri said that 97.5 percent of the world’s water is saline and only 2.5 percent of it is fresh water. He said that 90 per cent of fresh water is either at the poles or underground.
“The value of water, which is this year’s theme for World Water Day, is easily seen by looking at the Geçitköy Dam, where it is clear how water changes everything,” he said.
Everyone on the island has “learned the value of water” due to the experiences of water shortages, Mr Başçeri stated.
“On top of that, you [people in the TRNC] are the ones who suffer . . . with the barriers placed in front of water coming from South Cyprus,” he said.
The value of water “was seen once again with the fault” that occurred in the pipeline, which Mr Başçeri said is the first pipeline of its kind in the world and “successfully brings fresh water from Turkey”.
He said that the fact that 15 of the TRNC’s 17 reservoirs are holding water is “good data” but that institutions, as well as individuals, all have a responsibility towards cutting water waste.