FIX WATER WOES NOW

THE mayors of Girne and Esentepe yesterday vowed to take action over ongoing water supply problems that have left residents in parts of the north coast of the country at the end of their tether.

Exasperated readers have been contacting this newspaper complaining of taps running dry and going days without having a shower, with hundreds of houses said to have been affected.

Cyprus Today contacted Girne Mayor Nidai Güngördü, who assured us yesterday that the problems experienced in places such as Doğanköy “will be solved” and that “men are at work” to solve problems in Bellapais.

Mr Güngördü added that water consumption has increased due to the high temperatures, that “this is normal”, and that Girne Municipality is “constantly monitoring the situation”.

He also noted that “technical teams” from the municipality are in contact with village muhtars about the water situation.

For those who are still left without water, Mr Güngördü said that clean water can be provided via tankers by the municipality if requested.

Esentepe Mayor Cemal Erdoğan said that water supply problems in areas under his jurisdiction are due to “a problem with the water coming from Turkey”, and that for that reason there was no water in the local tanks.

He confirmed that teams from his municipality are working with teams from Turkey and are “trying to deal with it”.

No-one at the TRNC Waterworks Department was available to comment on Mr Erdoğan’s claims, with the Geçitköy Reservoir that receives fresh water via a pipeline from Turkey seemingly full, and no reports of water issues in other regions of North Cyprus.

‘UTTERLY DIRE’

The water situation has prompted numerous complaints, with Bellapais resident “SG”, who did not want her full name to be published, calling the situation “utterly dire”.

“For many weeks now we have not been receiving a good supply of mains water,” she told this newspaper.

“It is either off altogether for days, or simply trickles through and is not even filling our underground tank. The situation is utterly dire.

“We are afraid to use too much water as we do not know if or when we will receive any more. We have been given various excuses, none of which make any sense.

“It appears now that we are being denied a basic human, essential need. We cannot flush toilets, take showers, use the washing machine or dishwasher, and certainly cannot water the garden, as we have no idea what the true situation is, or when we will get mains water . . . Apparently, around 200 houses are affected within the area. If this is the case then there is clearly insufficient water to service everyone’s needs.

“We have friends close by who fall within Ozanköy, they have plenty of water, but on the outskirts

of Ozanköy, falling under Bellapais, we are deprived.”

SG added that she has family coming to stay with her soon for the first time in three years but because of the water situation her guests may have to stay in a hotel instead.

“We pay for the water up front using a smart card and meter, so we are giving our money to the [municipality] and getting nothing in return,” she continued, adding: “This is an absolutely shocking state of affairs when we can see a reservoir full to overflowing with Turkish water, and we are getting none of it.

“We have lived here for 13 years and visited regularly for seven years prior to that, and have never, ever known things to be this bad.”

Another reader, Geoff Hannan, who lives in Crystal Bay View in Bahçeli just outside Esentepe, said: “We only get water from the mains supply if we are lucky for around eight to 10 hours a week.

“The guys in charge of the water supply wrongly think that shutting the valve down to a mere trickle is still giving water, but only the houses at the lower levels of the area can get any water at all.

“I am a retired plumbing engineer who has worked in many countries during my working life so do have a little knowledge.

“We have the water which comes from Turkey, we have a water treatment plant capable of supplying . . . enough water for the people of the TRNC, but there are people in some areas . . . that are being denied [water] for whatever reason.”

Some residents believe that their municipalities are deliberately avoiding using the water from Turkey to cut costs and are using local wells instead, a claim that the mayor of Lapta, Mustafa Aktuğ, said was “ridiculous” in comments made previously to this newspaper.

Alsancak Municipality announced at the end of July that the area was experiencing “serious water problems” because of increased water usage caused by the heat and because of people using mains water to fill up their swimming pools.

“We kindly ask all of our people not to use water unnecessarily and not to fill their pools,” the statement added.