Government ‘hiding dam reserves to promote desalination’

By Martin Hellicar

THE GOVERNMENT is “hiding” a dam holding three million cubic metres of water in an effort to convince the public of the necessity of further desalination plants, environmentalists claimed yesterday.

The Green party — vociferous opponents of desalination — held a press conference on the shores of the Arminou dam, in the Diarizos valley, Paphos, yesterday. They said the water behind the remote reservoir’s walls never showed up on state water statistics.

“We reveal today the presence of three million cubic metres of water in the Arminou dam, which are never mentioned in Agriculture Ministry announcements on the state of our water reserves,” the fringe party claimed.

“The fact that the Agriculture Ministry systematically conceals the presence of three million cubic metres of water… is, in our opinion, part of a broader policy for misinforming and creating panic among the public so as to make desalination policy more acceptable,” the greens added.

The government is promoting desalination as the solution to the island’s chronic water shortage.

Two mobile desalination plants are planned for Ayios Georgios, Larnaca, and Zakaki, Limassol, while a contract has been signed for a second static plant at Larnaca.

Strong opposition to the mobile plants from local residents, and the arrival of rains last winter, convinced the government to “go slow” on its plans.

The Green party says water conservation, particularly in the agricultural sector, is a better solution to water shortage problems than costly, polluting, desalination.

The greens noted yesterday that the volume of water in Arminou dam was second only to that in the Kourris, Asprokremnos and Evretou dams.

“It represents half as much water as the Zakaki plant would produce every year,” the Green party said.

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