The Akamas mayor and the Paphos Hoteliers Association on Saturday added their disappointment about the government’s decision to locate all desalination units donated by the UAE in Limassol rather than Paphos.
“A serious void will result from the failure to transport mobile desalination units to Paphos,” Akamas mayor Marinos Lambrou said.
Speaking to CNA, he said that all mobile desalination units were being transferred to the Moni area of Limassol as it was the most suitable place according to the technical opinion during a Friday meeting at the agriculture ministry.
But, Lambrou said he estimated that “things are not auspicious for the water situation” in his area, warning that existing and future drillings would not provide the required quantity.
He added that while he did receive assurance that the contract for the desalination plant in Kissonerga would be signed next Monday, the plant would only be able to provide water in four to seven months.
He stressed that the Paphos district had an increased need for water, pointing to the destruction of the desalination plant in Kouklia in 2024 and the emptying of the Mavrokolympos dam earlier this year, leaving farmers, households and businesses, including the hotel industry, in increasingly difficult conditions.
Despite assurances from the ministry regarding the expansion of water supply from 15 to 25 tons at the Achelia (Vassilikos) desalination plant, Lambrou warned that significant water shortages remained in Peyia for the summer months.
Current local resources, he said, could not produce enough water and even if the Asprokremos and Kanaviou dams added to this, there would still be a considerable shortage.
“The dams will be emptied throughout Cyprus by the end of the year since there will be no water,” he said.
The Paphos Hoteliers Association echoed Lambrou’s concerns, saying it was “surprised” and “disappointed” to hear the government’s decision.
“The needs of permanent residents and tourists in Paphos for drinking water are twice as high as those of Limassol and therefore the decision is strange,” its president Euripides Loizides said.
Pointing to the desalination plant in Kouklia, initially scheduled to operate from August 15, he added that a delay was expected as components from China were still to be received.
He called on the government to “assume its responsibilities” and provide Paphos with water “not with promises and words, but in practice”.
Their complaints follow those made by a range of officials from the region on Friday who said they were trying to fathom how a decision was made regarding where the units would end up.
